MAHESHWARI PUBLIC

SCHOOL

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
OF CHEMISTRY

SUBMITTED BY:- SUBMITTED TO :-

MUDIT AGARWAL MR. RONAK SIR
GREEN CHEMISTRY
BIODIESAL
CONTENT
: TOPIC
: CERTIFICATE
: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
: INTRODUCTION-GREEN CHEMISTRY
: PRINCIPLES OF GREEN CHEMISTRY
: INTRODUCTION-BIODIESEL
: MAKING OF BIODIESEL
: TESTING BIODIESEL
: MERITS OF BIODIESEL
: DEMERITS OF BIODIESEL
: BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION-GREEN CHEMISTRY
Green Chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with
developing processes and products to reduce or eliminate
hazardous substances. One of the goals of green chemistry is
to prevent pollution at its source, as opposed to dealing with
pollution after it has occurred.

PRINCIPLES OF GREEN CHEMISTRY

1. PREVENTION
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up
waste after it has been created.
2. ATOM ECONOMY
Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the
incorporation of all materials used in the process into the
final product.
3. LESS HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SYNTHESES
Wherever practicable, synthetic methods should be designed
to use and generate substances that possess little or no toxicity
to human health and the environment.
4. DESIGNING SAFER CHEMICALS
Chemical products should be designed to effect their desired
function while minimizing their toxicity.
5. SAFER SOLVENTS AND AUXILIARIES
The use of auxiliary substances (e.g., solvents, separation
agents, etc.) should be made unnecessary wherever possible
and innocuous when used.
6. DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Energy requirements of chemical processes should be
recognized for their environmental and economic impacts and
should be minimized. If possible, synthetic methods should be
conducted at ambient temperature and pressure.
7. USE OF RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCKS
A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than
depleting whenever technically and economically practicable.
8. REDUCE DERIVATIVES
Unnecessary derivatization (use of blocking groups,
protection/ deprotection, temporary modification of
physical/chemical processes) should be minimized or avoided
if possible, because such steps require additional reagents and
can generate waste.
9. CATALYSIS
Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to
stoichiometric reagents.
10. DESIGN FOR DEGRADATION
Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of
their function they break down into innocuous degradation
products and do not persist in the environment.
11. REAL-TIME ANALYSIS FOR POLLUTION
PREVENTION
Analytical methodologies need to be further developed to
allow for real-time, in process monitoring and control prior to
the formation of hazardous substances.
12. Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident
Prevent
Substances and the form of a substance used in a
chemical process should be chosen to minimize the
potential for chemical accidents, including releases,
explosions, and fires.
 INTRODUCTION-BIODIESEL
Bio-diesel is an eco-friendly, alternative diesel fuel prepared
from domestic renewable resources i.e., vegetable oils (edible
or non- edible oil) and animal fats. These natural oils and fats
are made up mainly of triglycerides. These triglycerides when
rea w striking similarity to petroleum derived diesel and are
called "Bio-diesel". As India is deficient in edible oils, non-
edible oil may be material of choice for producing bio diesel.
For this purpose, Jatropha curcas considered as most potential
source for it. Bio diesel is produced by transesterification of
oil obtains from the plant. Jatropha Curcas has been identified
for India as the most suitable Tree Borne Oilseed (TBO) for
production of bio-diesel both in view of the non-edible oil
available from it and its presence throughout the country. The
capacity of Jatropha Curcas to rehabilitate degraded or dry
lands, from which the poor mostly derive their sustenance, by
improving land's water retention capacity, makes it
additionally suitable for up-gradation of land resources.
Presently, in some Indian villages, farmers are extracting oil
from Jatropha and after settling and decanting it they are
mixing the filtered oil with diesel fuel. Although, so far the
farmers have not observed any damage to their machinery, yet
this remains to be tested and PCRA is working on it. The fact
remains that this oil needs to be converted to bio-diesel
through a chemical reaction - trans-esterification. This
reaction is relatively simple and does not require any exotic
material. IOC (R&D) has been using a laboratory scale plant
of 100 kg/day capacity for trans-esterification; designing of
larger capacity plants is in the offing. These large plants are
useful for centralized production of bio-diesel.
MAKING BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a mixture of methyl esters of fatty acids (long
chain carboxylic acids). It has similar properties to the diesel
fuel made from crude oil that is used to fuel many vehicles. It
can be made easily from vegetable cooking oil that contains
compounds of fatty acids. Enough fuel can be produced in this
activity to burn in a later activity, although it is not pure
enough to actually be used as fuel in a car or lorry. The
synthesis is a simple chemical reaction that produces biodiesel
and propane-1,2,3-triol (glycerol). Cooking oil is mixed with
methanol and potassium hydroxide is added as a catalyst. The
products separate into two layers, with the biodiesel on the
top. The biodiesel is separated and washed, and is then ready
for further experimentation.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

: EYE PROTECTION
: ACCESS TO TOP PAN BALANCE

: ONE 250cm³ CONICAL FLASK

: TWO 100 cm³ MEASURING CYLLINDER
: FIVE PLASTIC TEAT PIPETTES
: DISTILLED OR DEIONISED WATER
: 100 cm³ VEGETABLE BASED COOKING OIL
: 15 cm³ METHANOL
: 1 cm³ POTTASIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION
SAFETY
: WEAR EYE PROTECTION
: METHANOL IS FLAMMABLE AND POISONOUS
: POTTASIUM HYDROXIDE IS CORROSIVE

WHAT TO DO
1. Measure 100 cm3 of vegetable oil into the 250 cm3 flask.
Weigh the flask before and after to determine the mass of
oil you used.
2. Carefully add 15 cm3 of methanol.
3. Slowly add 1 cm3 of 50% potassium hydroxide.
4. Stir or swirl the mixture for 10 minutes.
5. Allow the mixture to stand until it separates into two layers.
6. Carefully remove the top layer (this is impure biodiesel)
using a teat pipette.
7. Wash the product by shaking it with 10 cm3 of distilled or
deionised water.
8. Allow the mixture to stand until it separates into two layers.
9. Carefully remove the top layer of biodiesel using a teat
pipette.
10. Weigh the amount of biodiesel you have collected and
compare it to the amount of vegetable oil you started with.
TESTING BIODIESEL
How does biodiesel compare to other fuels? Just because we
can produce a fuel from an alternative source, does that mean
it is a good idea? There are many factors that go into the
decision to use alternative fuels. Ideally the physical
properties of an alternative fuel should equal or exceed those
of the traditional product. But how are fuels evaluated in the
first place. In this activity, biodiesel and some other fuels are
tested and compared for sootiness and acidity.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

: Eye protection small glass
: Funnel (approximately 7 cm diameter)
: One 250 cm3 flask
: Two boiling tubes
: One two-hole stopper to fit the boiling tubes
: Filter pump
: A piece of wide bore glass tubing approximately 10cm long
with two one-hole stoppers to fit A piece of vacuum tubing
approximately 35 cm long
: Two short pieces of glass tubing to fit the one-hole
stoppers 5 cm glass bend to fit the two-hole stopper 90-degree
glass bend to fit the two-hole stopper (one leg to extend to
bottom of flask)
: Two stands and clamps
: Two small metal sample dishes
: A little sodium hydroxide solution 0.1 mol dm-3 (irritant)
: Universal indicator solution
: A little mineral wool

SAFETY
: Wear eye protection.
: Take care if you have to insert glass tubing into the stoppers
yourself. Make sure that your teacher shows you the correct
technique.

WHAT TO DO
1. Pour 125 cm3 of distilled water into the 250 cm3 flask
and add 10 cm3 of universal indicator.
2. Add one drop of 0.1 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide
solution and gently swirl the flask so that the colour of
the solution is violet or at the most basic end of the
universal indicator colour range.
3. Place 10 cm3 of this solution into the boiling tube.
4. Assemble the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1, attaching
it to the filter pump with the vacuum tubing.
5. Place 2 cm3 of biodiesel onto a wad of mineral wool in
the metal sample cup.
6. Turn on the water tap so the filter pump pulls air through
the flask and ignite the biodiesel.
7. Position the funnel directly over the burning fuel, so as
to capture the fumes from the burning fuel.
 8. Mark or note the position of the tap handle so you can
run the pump at the same flow rate later in the
experiment.
9. Allow the experiment to run until the universal indicator
turns yellow and time how long this takes.
10. Record what happens in the funnel and in the glass
tube containing the second piece of mineral wool.
11. Clean the apparatus, and repeat the experiment
using 2 cm3 of kerosene (this is very similar to diesel
fuel).

MERITS OF BIODIESEL
EASY TO USE
One of the great advantages of biodiesel is that it can be used
in existing engines, vehicles and infrastructure with
practically no changes. Biodiesel can be pumped, stored and
burned just like petroleum diesel fuel, and can be used pure,
or in blends with petroleum diesel fuel in any proportion.
Power and fuel economy using biodiesel is practically
identical to petroleum diesel fuel, and year-round operation
can be achieved by blending with diesel fuel.

POWER, PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMY

Many alternative fuels have difficulty gaining acceptance
because they do not provide similar performance to their
petroleum counterparts. Pure biodiesel and biodiesel blended
with petroleum diesel fuel provide very similar horsepower,
torque, and fuel mileage compared to petroleum diesel fuel. In
its pure form, typical biodiesel will have an energy content
5%-10% lower than typical petroleum diesel. However, it
should be noted that petroleum diesel fuel energy content can
vary as much as 15% from one supplier to the next. The lower
energy content of biodiesel translates into slightly reduced
performance when biodiesel is used in 100% form, although
users typically report little noticeable change in mileage or
performance. When blended with petroleum diesel at B20
levels, there is less than 2% change in fuel energy content,
with users typically reporting no noticeable change in mileage
or economy.

EMISSIONS & GREENHOUSE GAS

REDUCTION
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to successfully complete
the EPA’s rigorous emissions and health effects study under
the Clean Air Act. Biodiesel provides significantly reduced
emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, unburned
hydrocarbons, and sulphates compared to petroleum diesel
fuel. Additionally, biodiesel reduces emissions of
carcinogenic compounds by as much as 85% compared with
Petro diesel. When blended with petroleum diesel fuel, these
emissions reductions are generally directly proportional to the
amount of biodiesel in the blend.
Biodiesel helps reduce the risk of global warming by
reducing net carbon emissions to the atmosphere. When
biodiesel is burned, it releases carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere, but crops which are used to produce biodiesel
take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in their growth
cycle. A joint study conducted by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy determined
that biodiesel reduces net carbon dioxide emissions to the
atmosphere by 78.5% compared with petroleum diesel fuel.

ENERGY BALANCE AND SECURITY

The energy balance of a fuel is a ratio of how much energy is
required to produce, refine and distribute the fuel compared to
the amount of energy the fuel releases when it is burned. This
property is used to determine how “renewable” a fuel is. A
higher ratio indicates a lower environmental impact, as less
fossil energy is needed to produce, refine and distribute the
fuel. Biodiesel has a very high energy balance compared to
other alternative fuels. A joint study found that on average
biodiesel releases 3.2 units of energy for every one unit of
fossil fuel energy used to produce it*. For comparison, diesel
fuel delivers only 0.83 units of energy for every unit of fossil
fuel energy used to produce it.
Worldwide, energy security is becoming a hot topic in
government and society. Nearly every country in the world
depends on imports of various forms of fossil fuel energy,
including oil, coal and natural gas. Without a steady supply of
affordable energy a country’s economy grinds to a halt, with
no fuel for transportation, energy to run power plants and
factories, or heat homes.

TOXICITY, BIODEGRADABILITY, SAFETY &

RECYCLING
Though it is uncommon for the average person to come into
direct contact with fuels, occasional spills do occur, and the
impact of the fuel on plants and animals must be considered.
Biodiesel has been proven to be much less toxic than diesel
fuel, and is readily biodegradable. These attributes make it
less likely to harm the environment if an accidental spill
occurred, and far less costly to repair damage and clean up.
In both soil and water, biodiesel degraded at a rate 4 times
faster than regular diesel fuel, with nearly 80% of the carbon
in the fuel being readily converted by soil and water borne
organisms in as little as 28 days. Biodiesel is safer to handle
than petroleum fuel because of its low volatility. Due to the
high energy content of all liquid fuels, there is a danger of
accidental ignition when the fuel is being stored, transported,
or transferred. The possibility of having an accidental ignition
is related in part to the temperature at which the fuel will
create enough vapours to ignite, known as the flash point
temperature. The lower the flash point of a fuel is, the lower
the temperature at which the fuel can form a combustible
mixture.
Biodiesel can be made from many different oils and fats,
including many waste products. Waste cooking oil, normally
disposed of or used in animal feed mixtures can be converted
to high quality biodiesel using a process employed by
companies such as Pacific Biodiesel Technologies. The use of
used cooking oils as a biodiesel feedstock has increased their
value significantly in recent years, making proper collection
and recycling of these oils more cost effective, and lowering
the volume of these oils destined for sewers and landfills.
Other low value oils and fats which can be made into
biodiesel include yellow grease, inedible tallow, and trap
grease.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Since biodiesel is a fuel which can be created from locally
available resources, it’s production and use can provide a host
of economic benefits for local communities. The community-
based model of biodiesel production is particularly beneficial.
In this model, locally available feedstocks are collected,
converted to biodiesel, then distributed and used within the
community. This model keeps energy dollars in the
community instead of sending them to foreign oil producers
and refineries outside the community. The peripheral benefits
of this type of model are different for each case, but can
include:
 Increased tax base from biodiesel production operations.
 Jobs created for feedstock farming and/or collection.
 Skilled jobs created for biodiesel production and
distribution.
 Income for local feedstock producers and refiners.
Biodiesel feedstock can come from a variety of agricultural
crops. When these crops are grown in a sustainable manner,
using good stewardship practices, there are long term benefits
to farmers, farming communities and the land. Many crops
which yield oils used for biodiesel production can be a
beneficial rotation for other food crops, including soybeans
when used in a traditional corn rotation, and canola when used
in a wheat rotation. Using crops in rotation can improve soil
health and reduce erosion. The overall impacts of growing
energy crops are complex, with thousands of variables.
However, the added value created for oilseed crops by the
production of biodiesel is a tangible benefit for farming
communities, and when coupled with sustainable farming
practices can provide benefits to farming communities and the
environment.

Since there are multiple feedstocks from which to make

biodiesel, plant operators can opt for the least expensive
feedstock currently available, if they have a multiple-
feedstock system. This flexibility makes producers less
subject to price fluctuations.

DEMERITS OF BIODIESEL
VARIATION IN THE QUALITY OF BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is made from a variety of biofuel crops. When the
oil is extracted and converted to fuel using the chemical
process, the result can vary in the ability to produce power. In
short, not all biofuel crops are the same, as the amount of
vegetable oil may vary.

NOT SUITABLE FOR USE IN LOW

TEMPERATURES
Biodiesel gels in cold weather, but the temperature it will gel
depends on the oil or fat used to make it. The best way to use
biodiesel during the colder months is to blend it with
winterized diesel fuel.

Biodiesel Could Harm the Rubber Houses of Some

Engines
While using biodiesel increases an engine’s efficiency, it can
also considerably damage the rubber houses of some engines.
So, before shifting to biodiesel, all these points must be
considered.

FOOD SHORTAGE
Since biofuels are made from animal and vegetable fat, more
demand for these products may raise prices for these products
and create a food crisis in some countries.

For instance, the production of biodiesel from corn may raise

its demand, pushing the prices for the commodity up, and that
could deprive poor people of having it.

INCREASED USE OF FERTILIZERS

As more crops are grown to produce biofuels, more fertilizer
is used, which can have a devastating effect on the
environment. The excess use of fertilizers can also result
in soil erosion and lead to land pollution.

CLOGGING IN ENGINE
Biodiesel cleans dirt from the engine. This proves to be an
advantage of biofuels, but the problem is that this dirt gets
collected in the fuel filter and clogs it.

REGIONAL SUITABILITY
Some regions are not suitable for oil-producing crops. The
most productive crops can’t be produced anywhere, and they
need to be transported to the plants, which increases the cost
and amount of emission associated with production and
transportation.

WATER SHORTAGE
AD

The use of water to produce more crops can put pressure on

local water resources. In areas facing water scarcity, the
production of crops to be used for biofuels is not a wise idea.

MONOCULTURE
Monoculture refers to producing the same crop repeatedly
rather than producing different crops. While this results in
fetching the best price for the farmer, it has some
serious environmental drawbacks. When the same crop is
grown over large acres of land, the pest population attracted
by that specific crop may grow and go beyond control. Plus,
soil nutrients are not returned without crop rotation, which
may result in soil erosion.

FUEL DISTRIBUTION
Biodiesel is not distributed as widely as petroleum diesel. The
infrastructure still requires more boost to adopt it as the most
preferred way to run engines.

USE OF PETROLEUM DIESEL TO PRODUCE

BIODIESEL
It requires a lot of energy to produce biodiesel fuel from soy
crops as energy is needed for sowing, fertilizing, and
harvesting crops.
Also, raw materials must be transported by trucks, which
consume some additional fuel. Some scientists believe that
producing one gallon of biofuel needs energy equivalent to
several gallons of petroleum fuel.

SLIGHT INCREASE IN NITROGEN OXIDE

EMISSIONS
AD

Biodiesel has about 10% higher Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) than

other petroleum products. Nitrogen Oxide is one of the gases
that is used in the formation of smog and Ozone. Once it gets
dissolved in atmospheric moisture, it can cause acid rain.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
: www.conseve-energy-future.com

: www.icbse.com

: www.wikipedia.org

: www.biodiesel.com

: www.ott.doe.gov/biofuels/environment.html

: www.chemistry.org

: www.pcra.org