University aims to convert cooking grease into biodiesel

Thanks to the help of a US EPA grant, the wheels have been put in motion to allow faculty and students at the University of Cincinnati (UC) to transform regular cooking grease into biodiesel.

The plans are being run on a regional scale and is a collaboration among UC, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and Bluegrass Biodiesel of Falmouth, Kentucky.

In total, three methods are to be experimented with, according to Soapbox Cincinnati, as researchers look to extract oil from the grease.

One such method is one that the UC is planning to patent, should it prove completely successful.

It is hoped that the oil, in the long term, could be used as a component in a biodiesel mixture which, in turn, could be well utilised to power diesel equipment and vehicles.

The practice, once perfected, could prove to be a real boost to the environment as it could offer a useful way of disposing of grease.

What tends to happen currently is that restaurants will pay companies to remove the grease they create which is then placed in landfill as project leader Mingming Lu, UC associate professor of Environmental Engineering, explains.

He told the news outlet: "MSD receives grease from haulers. The grease, a mix of solid and liquid, are from restaurant grease traps.

"MSD also has grease from the waste water it receives. The two kinds of grease are mixed, skimmed and condensed. This is called trap grease. It's stored in a pond and then sent to a landfill."

Seven students will be involved in the effort, he continued, while he also confirmed that the two-year project is set to get underway in September.

It will see a number of pilot demonstrations as well as a 100-gallon pilot treatment facility in collaboration with MSD.

The EPA awarded the project an $87,000 (£55,932) grant at the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during May.

It was chosen from among 300 others presented by college and university innovators across the US.

Posted by Lauren Steadman