Sodexho waste could be fuel

This spring, Truman will switch gears and use biodiesel to fuel its engines.

Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly alternative to fuel. Truman's chapter of Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society started mapping out plans that will allow the University to produce biodiesel to fuel golf carts, tractors and other diesel-friendly vehicles on campus.

Junior Josh Hirner, president of ACS, said that switching Truman's diesel vehicles to biodiesel could both save the University money and help the environment.

"Biodiesel can be used in engines without modification," Hirner said. "Studies show that different pollutants are reduced - sulfur nitrous oxide goes down, carbon monoxide is reduced and, my favorite one, it eliminates black clouds [soot emissions]."

Hirner said black clouds are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which researchers suspect cause cancer.

Senior Drew Olson, the coordinator for the agriculture science part of the project, said the most important factor ACS is looking at right now has to do with sustainability.

"We're making the University sustainable by utilizing a resource that they throw away and using it as an asset to us," Olson said. "We get more out of it than what we put into it."

The idea was influenced by a capstone project done last year by senior Laura Farkas.

Farkas did an analysis on how much the project would save the University based on 2006 gas prices. Hirner and Olson explained to faculty and staff in a presentation, that the college would save almost $4,000 if the project started last year, but the numbers should rise with the increasing price of fuel.

Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil. Hirner said that in a process called transeterification, the fatty acids in vegetable oil are neutralized or eliminated for added sodium hydroxide to react with added alcohol. The chemistry of acids and bases allows fuel to be made from the University's kitchen grease, she said.

Barbara Kramer, associate professor of chemistry and adviser for this project, said ACS would have to look into whether it could legally use the school's vegetable oil for itself. Sodexho, Truman's food service company, will need to have the contract to keep the vegetable waste because in some cases, other companies will buy the waste from food service, she said. ACS also is looking into acquiring vegetable oil waste from businesses in town, she said.

Kramer said ACS plans to produce biodiesel on a small scale first. She said she oversees test labs where ACS already has begun to produce it in millimeter amounts. In the near future, once ACS figures out the correct proportions, they will be able to make biodiesel in a bucket. Senior students directly related in the agricultural side of the biodiesel production have adopted this for their senior projects.

"I really am amazed by the enthusiasm the students have for this," Kramer said. "I really like to see the students doing something that helps the school, helps the environment and brings together different groups on campus."

Other universities across the U.S. already have started similar projects to make biodiesel. Kramer said people can make biodiesel at home, and some engines can even be converted to run on pure vegetable oil.

"If it works, it'll be amazing," Kramer said. "It'll take a lot of work."