Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative Converts Used Vegetable Oil into Biodiesel

Derek Riley is shown holding an early batch of biodiesel. Derek initiated the Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative as an Engineering graduate student and Wilskills instructor.

Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative Finds Ways To Power Vehicles

(Posted 5/4/09)

Used vegetable oil from Vanderbilt Dining Services turned into biodiesel fuel by the Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative

Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative (VBI) is a student-run biodiesel production system in collaboration with WilSkills, Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility (SPEAR), Vanderbilt Environmental Health and Safety (VEHS), Vanderbilt Dining, and Plant Operations. The biodiesel that is produced is used to fuel the WilSkills vehicle as well as Plant Operations' diesel-fueled equipment.

VBI collects used vegetable oil from Rand and the Commons (two dining facilities on campus), filters it, and combines it with potassium hydroxide and methanol to produce biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel can be blended with diesel fuel, and it is actually superior to diesel in that it burns cleaner, lubricates better, and smells like fried food. To learn more about this process, visit VBI's web site.  The team currently produces approximately 250 gallons of biodiesel fuel per month.

The Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative student team was one of ten finalists in the 2007 national MTV-U Ecomagination Challenge, rising to the top from among more than 100 applicants. Although the team was not named the top finalist for the Ecomagination grant, the student team is still moving ahead with the design and construction of the biodiesel system in cooperation with Vanderbilt Plant Operations and Vanderbilt Environmental Health and Safety. For more information on this project, please visit the Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative web page.