Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Major Professor

David K. Irick

Abstract

UT Biodiesel is a small scale, student run Used Frying Oil (UFO) to biodiesel production program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A single batch transesterification reaction using methanol and potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the catalyst is used to produce biodiesel from UFO collected from UT Dining Services. A warm deionized water wash is used to remove contaminants from the biodiesel. A heat and settle method is used to dry the biodiesel. The processor has been shown to be capable of producing fuel that meets the ASTM D6751 specification for biodiesel. The project uses in-house testing to ensure the quality of the fuel. In-house tests include methanol content, water content, total glycerin, and acid number. This study evaluates the on-road emissions of the student-produced biodiesel in a modern diesel vehicle. The test vehicle is powered by a GM 1.9 liter direct injected turbo diesel using cooled EGR. The vehicle is equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst and a diesel particulate filter. An Autologic five gas analyzer was used to evaluate tailpipe emissions on a prescribed driving cycle. An Autologic heavy duty smoke meter was used to evaluate smoke opacity using a stationary test. Biodiesel blends of B20 and B50 were evaluated against ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) and neat biodiesel, B100.

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