Alternative fuel fires up students

Bulldog Biodiesel is busy processing its third batch of biodiesel while also seeking to fuel community interest and involvement in its environmentally friendly cause.

The group recently purchased the BioPro 190, a biodiesel processor with an $8,000 price tag, from Nebraska BioPro in Lincoln, Neb. Bulldog Biodiesel now is chartering with Truman's Center for Student Involvement and applying for more funding to pay for equipment and community education.

The biodiesel project has received $4,000 from the agricultural science department, $4,000 from the University farm and $2,000 from the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, said Barbara Kramer, associate professor of chemistry and an adviser to Bulldog Biodiesel.

Kramer and Thomas Marshall, associate professor of agricultural science, both advise the group and have applied for a grant of about $30,000 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on its behalf, Kramer said. She said Bulldog Biodiesel will know the results of the grant application in May or June.

"We can't start using the money that we'd get from [the grant] until July," she said. "So hopefully we'll be able to get [the money], so we'll be able to keep what we've got right now going for a little longer."

Kramer said the DNR grant money would pay for educational outreach, student workers, another biodiesel processor, supplies and equipment for processing and analyzing the biodiesel. She said Bulldog Biodiesel will continue to seek further funding.

"Hopefully, once we've produced the biodiesel and are able to sell it to the farm and the other groups on campus, we'll recoup the money and keep going with it," Kramer said. "But we also need some more funding to help students who are running the equipment and things like that so that it's not all volunteer [work]."

Bulldog Biodiesel is following the lead of major universities that have initiated similar programs, said senior Pat Blomme, a member of Bulldog Biodiesel.

"There's a tremendous opportunity to use vegetable oil from Truman that no one's taking action on right now," he said.

Bulldog Biodiesel formed in fall 2007 when six members of the agriculture practicum made plans and began collaborating with Truman's chapter of Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society to create a business that would make biodiesel from vegetable oil to fuel University vehicles, Blomme said.

Bulldog Biodiesel first hopes to fuel University farm tractors and pickups and then expand to provide alternative fuel for all University vehicles, he said.

Rather than sell the alternative fuel, Bulldog Biodiesel will credit the biodiesel to the University in exchange for program costs, said senior Drew Olson, a Bulldog Biodiesel coordinator.

"The goal of Bulldog Biodiesel is essentially to use waste grease from the community and the University to remove Truman State University off of petroleum," Olson said.

Olson coordinates the agriculture side of the biodiesel project, which includes establishing the program, making the biodiesel, collecting oil and building a room to house the whole operation in the Animal Health and Science building.

He said the room's temperature-controlled environment should diminish problems the group has encountered with its first batches of biodiesel.

"Biodiesel just inherently does not like cold temperatures," he said. "Essentially, the warmer the oil is, the better things separate out [and] the better the reaction goes."

The BioPro 190 requires 50 gallons of vegetable oil to make 50 gallons of biodiesel in 48 hours, Olson said. He said Bulldog Biodiesel someday will expand oil collection efforts to other community businesses and the University cafeterias.

But for now the project uses vegetable oil collected from the Dukum Inn, Olson said.

"The Dukum has the best oil I've ever seen," he said.

Senior Josh Hirner said he represents the chemistry side of Bulldog Biodiesel, which typically involves lab workers testing the quality of the oil used to make biodiesel and also analyzing the biodiesel once it's made.

"In the process of cooking with it, some of the oil gets broken down into these fatty acids," Hirner said. "And those can cause our [biodiesel production] process to run amok a little bit."

Hirner said he currently is focused on submitting the group's constitution and appropriate paperwork to the Center for Student Involvement.

"My main project recently has been working with the CSI and jumping through hoops that we need to jump through in order to become official," he said.

Both Hirner and Olson said Bulldog Biodiesel is working to increase its campus visibility this semester through workshops and Earth Week activities.