How Green Is your Fuel? Creation and Comparison of Automotive Biofuels

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 87; no. 7; pp. 711 - 713
• Main Authors: Wagner, Eugene P, Koehle, Maura A, Moyle, Todd M, Lambert, Patrick D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton American Chemical Society 01-07-2010; Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society
• Subjects: Alternative fuels; Automotive fuels; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Biomass; Chemistry; College Science; College students; Comparative analysis; Energy; Energy requirements; Environmental chemistry; Environmental impact; Fuel technology; Fuels; Green Chemistry; Heat; Heat of combustion; Laboratory Experiments; Literary criticism; Oils & fats; Organic chemistry; Petroleum products; Physical chemistry; Science Experiments; Science Instruction; Science Laboratories; Students; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Study; Vegetable oils; Viscosity; Upper-Division Undergraduate; Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary; Green Chemistry; Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives; Thermodynamics; Synthesis; Laboratory Instruction; Physical Chemistry; Second-Year Undergraduate; Calorimetry/Thermochemistry; Environmental Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Physical Properties
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/ed100390s

In recent years, biofuel development and use has risen significantly. This undergraduate laboratory experiment educates students on the various alternative fuels that are being developed for automotive applications and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Students replicate commercially available alternative fuels, E85 and biodiesel, as well as create an experimental fuel blend of waste vegetable oil and petroleum products referred to as “VeggieDiesel”. Each fuel is evaluated in the lab for energy content and viscosity. Students use laboratory information as well as literature to assess the production energy requirements and environmental impact for each fuel. In addition, students theoretically model heat of combustion and viscosity and compare the predicted values to the experimental results. On the basis of laboratory results and literature findings, students draw conclusions on which fuel they believe is the best “alternative” and most sustainable. The experiment is easily adaptable for organic, analytical, and physical chemistry laboratory courses by inclusion or exclusion of the various tasks and topics covered. Its timely relevance is of interest to anyone interested in environmental chemistry or engineering.