Team 9: Oil from [the] Soil

Our [Chemical Engineering] Team:

Brooke Buikema Stephen Gabbadon Mike Workman Hwok-Chuen Lee

Presentation outline:

Project Description Original & Revised Approaches Extraction Transesterification Tasks Completed Future Plans

Our Project:

Goal: To chemically extract seed oil

from the Jatropha plant and

convert it to Biodiesel

TWO Step Process:

1. Extraction

2. Conversion

Our Project:

Seeds

Extraction Conversion

BiodieselSeed Oil

Original Approach:

MECHANICAL

Seed Oil Biodiesel

Conversion

Extraction

CHEMICAL

Revised Approach:

SOLVENTEXTRACTION

TRANSESTERIFICATION CONVERSION

Solvent extraction: Feasibility

Using Hexane

Extraction

Yield

Quality

Conversion

Transesterification Obstacles:

Availability of Chemicals

Safe handling

Variables of Optimization

Transesterification conversion: Feasibility

Established Method Operates in batch

Minimized complexity Batch Reactor

Common chemicals NaOH and Methanol Lowered Costs

BATCH REACTOR

Preliminary Design:

HexaneExtraction

BatchReactor

NaOH Methanol

Oil

Biodiesel

Glycerin

Methanol

Sodium HydroxideWaste

Tasks Completed:

Senior design deliverables

Preliminary research

Equipment and chemicals chosen

What’s ahead… Continuing research Locating reliable seed source Ordering of chemicals

Second Semester: Experiments Prototype construction Test Optimize

Thank You