Santa Clara University, Facilities

Students: Marko Buljan, Ryan Marshall

Advisor: Shoba Krishnan

The students saw biodiesel as a great resource to Santa Clara University and as it is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative source of fuel. The group created blueprint ideas and initial progresses to outline how such an option could become a reality. The method being pursued is a bioreactor which performs a “transesterification mechanism” inside a pressurized vessel. Used cooking oil, methanol, and sodium hydroxide are needed to synthesize biodiesel and a glycerol side product.