School of Engineering

ENG 2513
Multidisciplinary Engineering Design

REPORT of
Briefcase Size Biodiesel Plant from House Waste Cooking Oil

Marwan M. Shamel
Nurhazwani Ismail

Choon Zhe Shyi

CE

1101G13204

Content Page
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Abstract
Introduction
Design Solution
Results and Discussion
Conclusion and Recommendation
References
Appendices

Abstract

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The objective of building a miniature size biodiesel tank is to build awareness to the society
into adapting sustainability. The target population is the villagers from the rural areas as it
will help them in increasing their monthly income by using their used cooking oil to be
converted in to biodiesel. The objectives and challenges of this project are
clearly presented in the introduction. Besides, the business value is also
estimated in this section. Next, design solution shows concise description
about project, details of the improvement made over previous design and
limitations and boundary conditions of the design. The product is then
tested and results are recorded and discussion is made regarding the
formation of biodiesel, selection of power sources and choice of materials.
At last, conclusion and recommendation section have included report
conclusion, important results and improvement/ recommendation and
limitations. Furthermore, the last section of this report includes all the
figures, tables, graphs pertaining to chemical and mechanical disciplines.

INTRODUCTION
We live in an age where oil acquisition and consumption dominate the course of
national and international politics throughout much of the world. Nowhere is this more
apparent than in the United States, where 25% of the worlds oil is consumed.(1) Our
dependence on oil is responsible for many of the greatest environmental, health, and security
problems our nation faces today. Finding a way to ease our dependence on oil presents one of
the paramount challenges of our age. [1]
Biofuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, are widely derived from biomass (plants
and other organic waste) and provide an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. These fuels have
many different applications. In rural areas they can power mechanised milling or small scale
electrification systems. In the cities, biofuels are especially used in the transport sector adding
to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. [2]
One cannot deny the fact that we are living in a period of time where precious
resource such as petroleum and metals are becoming scarce as they are being excavated time
and time by the human hands. With the decreasing abundance of these materials, the impact
that can be seen which affects us directly is the hiking of prices of these precious resources.

Basically, biodiesel is made by allowing vegetable oil or animal oil goes through a
process known as transesterification, a process whereby the oils are chemically reacted with
alcohol and a catalyst under basic condition. To initiate the process, the amount of base
(KOH) required to neutralize the free fatty acids in oil and amount needed as catalyst is
calculated and slowly added to the alcohol and it is stirred until it dissolves [2]. The solution
of base and alcohol is then added to a warm solution of waste oil. The mixture is heated at
50C for several hours. Although the reaction only takes place during the first few minutes
after the solution of base and alcohol is added to the oil, a longer period of time (4 8 hours
typically) will lead to a more efficient production of biodiesel. In this project, different ratio
of ethanol/methanol to waste cooking oil and amount of potassium hydroxide are determined
and a briefcase size plant which incorporates the need of heating, stirring process by the
reaction and also extraction of biodiesel from the mixture is designed.
The challenge of this project comes from chemical and mechanical both parts.
Starting from chemical, the main challenges are difficulty in determine exact amount of
potassium hydroxide needed for reaction. This base serves in two purposes: 1) neutralize the
free fatty acid 2) speed up the reaction as a catalyst. The amount added must not too little and
excess. The former one will cause excess free fatty acids in oil which directly affects the yield
of biodiesel produced whereas the latter one will cause the formation of soap between the
biodiesel layer and glycerol [3]. Besides, it is also a challenge when determining the amount
of ethanol/ methanol because different solution and different ratio will lead to different
conversion percentage and quality. As for the mechanical part, the main challenge is
integrates the most suitable power source, stirring mechanism and simplest way

Design Solution
CHEMICAL PART
According to the research on the production of biodiesel, the scientific name for the reaction
is transesterification. During transesterification, alcohol needs to be added into the clean
waste cooking oil with catalysis by potassium hydroxide, KOH under a condition of 60 oC
[4]. However, after discussion among group members, there are some issue and challenges
that need to concern and solve.

1
2
3

Selection of materials (methanol or ethanol)

Volumetric ratio of waste cooking oil to alcohol
The importance and necessary of constant heating and stirring.

After a series of experiment was done, methanol was chosen as the reactant. This is because
methanol has low cost and it is physically and chemically advantageous. It is polar and the
shortest chain alcohol. From the observation of experiment, reaction with methanol give a
higher yield compare to the reaction with ethanol (refer to appendix 1 and 2). Reaction with
ethanol will form soap and hence reduce the yield.
The experiment by using the ratio of waste cooking oil to methanol of 1:6, 1:5, 2:3 and 5:1
were carried out. All the other conditions were kept constant. The ratio of 5:1 of oil to
methanol was decided to use because this ratio give sufficient amount of biodiesel which is
suitable for a small scale production (refer to appendix 1).
Experiment results show that constant stirring is necessary for the reaction. The reaction
without stirring will take extremely long time up to 2 to 3 hours for the conversion. This
cause an inconvenient to the person who using our product. Therefore, a conclusion saying
that stirring is required during the reaction had made. On the other hand, constant heating is
required in order to simplify the steps to use our model. This is because transesterification is
actually an exothermic reaction. The amount of heat released during the reaction is sufficient
enough to keep the temperature at around 60 oC . Although the temperature will start
dropping after the heat source is removed for certain period, the reaction still can perform
well within the temperature from 50 oC to 60 oC. Furthermore, the reaction will actually take
place at the first few minutes only. However, the mixture was kept in the reaction tank for
half an hour to make sure that all conversion is done.
After that, the amount of base needed to neutralize the free fatty acid in waste cooking oil
must be determined by using simple titration method.
Apparatus and materials
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

1L volumetric flask
50cm3 burette
10 ml beaker
Measuring cylinder
1ml of waste cooking oil
5.611g of potassium hydroxide(KOH)
Distilled water
10ml of propan-1-ol

Phenolphthalein

Procedures to determined the amount of base needed to neutralize the free fatty acid in waste
cooking oil
1

A 1M of potassium hydroxide solution is produced by diluting 5.611g of

potassium hydroxide (KOH) into a 1L volumetric flask.

The 1M potassium hydroxide solution is then transferred into a 50cm3 burette.

A 1ml sample of WCO (Waste cooking oil) is measured and placed in a 10 ml

beaker containing 10ml of propan-1-ol.

1 drop of phenolphthalein is then added in to the WCO-propan-1-ol mixture. The

mixture is then swirled to ensure WCO and the phenolphthalein is dissolve in the
propan-1-ol .

The experiment is then set up as shown in the diagram 1.

The burette is then turned on slowly for the 1M potassium hydroxide solution to
be added in to the beaker until the first permanent pink is appeared.

The amount of potassium hydroxide is then recorded.

Step 6~7 is repeated for 4 sets to obtain an accurate reading for the titration.

The average reading is then used to calculate the amount of base needed to add
into the WCO to neutralize the free fatty acid by using the formula:

Amount of base (KOH) required, x = Average base used in the experiment x Volume
Next, trans-esterification can simply done by following the methods below.
Apparatus and materials
1
2
3

Beakers (800ml, 200ml)

Measuring cylinders
Oil filter

4
5
6
7
8

Heater with magnetic stirrer

Thermometer
500ml of waste cooking oil
100ml of methanol
(x + 5.0)g of potassium hydroxide (KOH)

Remark: x refers to the amount of base needed to neutralize the free fatty acid. Since the
chemical substances used for both neutralization and catalyst are the same which is potassium
hydroxide, hence the total amount of potassium hydroxide required for the reaction is equal
to (x + 5.0)g.
Procedures
1
2

The waste cooking oil was filtered using an oil filter.

500ml of clean waste cooking oil was measured using a measuring cylinder. The oil is

3
4
5

then heated to 60oC with constant stirring using the heater.

Temperature on the thermometer was observed.
100ml of methanol was measured using a measuring cylinder.
(x + 5.0)g of potassium hydroxide(KOH) was dissolved into the 100ml of methanol in

another beaker.
The heat source was removed. The mixture of methanol and KOH was slowly poured

7
8
9

to the 500ml clean waste cooking oil.

The mixture was left aside for reaction with constant stirring for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, the stirrer was removed and the mixture was left aside for settlement.
The changes were observed.

After few hours, two layer of liquid can be clearly observed. The light yellow solution on top
is likely to be biodiesel while the bottom layer will be glycerin. The biodiesel can simply
separated by pouring it out to another beaker with extra careful. pH of the biodiesel was
checked by using pH meter. It found to be slightly alkali. Therefore, titration needed to be
done again to find out the amount of hydrochloric acid that needed to neutralize it.
Apparatus and materials
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

1L volumetric flask
50cm3 burette
10 ml beaker
Measuring cylinder
5ml of biodiesel
Phenolphthalein
Distilled water

Procedures to determine the amount of 0.1M hydrochloric acid solution needed to add into
the biodiesel to neutralize the excess potassium hydroxide by titration.
1

A 0.1M of Hydrochloric acid solution is produced by using volumetric dilution.

The 0.1M of Hydrochloric acid solution is then transferred into a 50cm3 burette.

A 5ml sample of Biodiesel is measured and placed in a 50 ml beaker

1 drop of phenolphthalein is then added in to the Biodiesel. The mixture is then

swirled to ensure biodiesel and the phenolphthalein is thoroughly mixed.

The experiment is then set up as shown in the diagram.

The burette is then turned on slowly for the 0.1M of Hydrochloric acid solution to
be added into the beaker until the drop of 0.1M of Hydrochloric acid solution
turns the colour of the solution in the beaker from pink to colourless.

The amount of 0.1M of Hydrochloric acid solution is then recorded.

Step 6~7 is repeated for 4 sets to obtain an accurate reading for the titration.

The average reading is then used to calculate the amount of 0.1M hydrochloric
acid solution needed to add into the biodiesel to neutralize the excess base by
using the formula:
Amount of acid required = Average acid used in the experiment x Volume

Different approaches to Biodiesel Conversion

In trans-esterification process to convert WCO to Biodiesel, different catalyst approach is used eg. via
using enzymes or using direct heating method.

The reaction trans-esterification process using base catalyst.

Conditions: (60oC 1atm ) [5]

Figure.

The trans-esterification process WCO using base catalyst is reacted with an strong and reactive
alcohol such as methanol or ethanol to produce esters which is the biodiesel and by-product alcohol
with the presence of external heat. This reaction is carried out at 55 oC ~60 oC to ensure high rate of
reaction. The yield produce for the base catalyst reaction are the same for refined and unrefined yield.
According to journal, the specific volume of both refined and unrefined biodiesel after the transesterification reactions has a difference of only 6% greater than the diesel oil. As for the downside of
base catalyst trans-esterification process of WCO, the bio-product of the reaction which is the glycerol
might cause saponification in the biodiesel. The soap formed is difficult to be removed from the
biodiesel. The removal of water that are used to wash the base catalyst out of the biodiesel are also
hard to remove from the refined yield. [6]

The reaction of enzyme approach of trans-esterification process

Conditions: (38 oC 1atm ) [5]

Figure
The enzyme driven catalyst for the WCO trans-esterification process involved using live enzyme
from microorganism to catalyze the reaction into high purity yield which can be easily separated from
glycerol. Enzymes use can also be used for multiple reactions. Although the high purity of the enzyme
conversion factor, the enzyme dependent trans-esterification reactions are involved in multiple
complex reaction [4] which may cause the goal of main artifact challenge to failed as reaction must be
simple to operate. The usage if enzymatic in the process also had been proven to produce low quantity
of yield and its only effective on large scale of biodiesel production.

Rate of Reaction
There are ways to increase the rate of reaction of trans-esterification reaction using base catalyst
which can increase the production of biodiesel. By getting in to fundamental of chemistry, there are
several ways factors that could increase the rate and quality of biodiesel produced. As an engineer, we
must ensure that both quality and quantity of biodiesel are conserved in a standard and time/cost
efficient way. The increase in rate of reactions means the reduction of time consumption of biodiesel
process as the goal of the biodiesel stated were conversion of biodiesel takes place in only one night.

To secure the high rate of reaction for the conversion of WCO to biodiesel via trans-esterification
process, there are certain factors need to be included to ensure the rate of reaction of the process
increased. Factors that must be added into the trans-esterification process are such as presence of
heating, presence of stirring, type of reactants, presence of catalyst.

Mechanical Part
METAL FRAME
MATERIAL AND APPARATUS
1.

1mm thickness 20mm x 20mm hollow stainless steel bar

2.

Grinding machine

3.

Milling machine

4.

Welding machine

5.

Cutting machine

PROCEDURE
1.

Hollow stainless steel bar is measured and cut into four of 200mm, two of 350mm,

three of 450mm and two of 670mm respectively.

2.

Both ends of the 20cm hollow stainless steel bars are marked with 45 incline and cut

as shown in appendix.
3.

Rough edges of the cut surface are grinded.

4.

Three holes of 13.5mm diameter are marked and drilled on the 50cm hollow stainless

steel bar as shown appendix. (27.5cm centre, step 4.5)

5.

Voltage output of the welding machine is adjusted to 14.0V and the wire speed is

modified to meet user preference.

6.

The hollow stainless steel bars are welded in such an arrangement as shown in

appendix

ACRYLIC BOX
MATERIAL AND APPARATUS
1.

15mm thickness acrylic glass

2.

7 x metal L-bracket 18 x 22 x T-3mm

3.

16 x M4-1x10 screw

4.

2 x door lock

5.

2 x door hinge

6.

2 x 195mm length 8mm diameter shaft with 1.75mm thread

7.

4 x 1.75mm thread nuts

8.

1 x wire gauze

9.

Jigsaw

10.

Grinding machine

11.

Drilling machine

PROCEDURE
1.

The 15mm thickness acrylic glass is measured and cut into one of 140mm x 140mm,

two of 140mm x 230mm, one of 155mm x 230mm, and one of 170mm x 230mm.
2.

Edges of the acrylic glass are grinded to a flat and smooth surface.

3.

The 140mm x 140mm acrylic glass is then cut as shown in appendix.

4.

Different sizes of holes are then drilled at specific locations on each of the smaller

pieces of acrylic glass.

5.

L-brackets, door hinges and door locks are then fitted into the holes on the acrylic

glass.
6.

Two 195mm of shaft with thread are inserted at the bottom of the acrylic box and a

piece of wire gauze is placed on top of it.

7.

The final product is shown in the appendix.

BOTTLE CAPS
BOTTLE CAP WITH VALVE
MATERIAL AND APPARATUS
1.

1 x bottle cap

2.

1 x PVC pipe fitting/male thread fitting with rubber washer and nut

3.

1 x 17mm diameter PVC pipe

4.

PVC glue

5.

Teflon pipe tape

6.

1 x inch ball valve

7.

Grinding machine

PROCEDURE
1.

Ball valve is connected to the PVC pipe fitting through a 17mm PVC pipe, and PVC

glue is applied to secure the connection.

2.

A hole of approximately 27mm is drilled at the center of the bottle cap.

3.

The thread side of the PVC pipe fitting is slowly screwed into the bottle cap from the

top of it.
4.

The nut is grinded to a small size in order to fit onto the bottle cap.

5.

Teflon pipe tape is applied around the thread of the PVC pipe fitting in order to

prevent leakage.
6.

Nut is tightened to the PVC pipe fitting to secure the fitting to the bottle cap.

7.

The final product is shown in the appendix.

BOTTLE CAP WITH STIRRER

MATERIAL AND APPARATUS
1.

1 x Bottle cap

2.

1 x 12V torque motor

3.

1 x propeller shaft

4.

1 x 3 blades propeller

5.

1 x cardan joint

6.

1 x allen key

7.

Soldering tool with soldering iron

8.

Wire

9.

Switch

10.

Battery holder

11.

2 x AA rechargeable battery

12.

1 x Rubber washer

13.

Hot glue gun

14.

Drilling machine

PROCEDURE
1.

A small hole of slightly bigger than the shaft of the motor is drilled at the center of the

bottle cap.

2.

Motor is secured on top of the bottle cap by attaching it to a piece of rubber washer

and is attached to the bottle cap using hot glue gun.

3.

Propeller is connected to the bottom of the shaft, and the top of the shaft is then

connected to the motor shaft through a cardan joint. Allen key is used to tighten the cardan
joint.
4.

A simple circuit consisting of battery, switch and motor is connected by soldering.

5.

The final product is shown in the appendix.

ASSEMBLY OF THE FINAL PRODUCT

MATERIAL AND APPARATUS
1.

Frame

2.

Acrylic box

3.

Bottle cap with valve/ bottle cap with stirrer

4.

2 x 12mm diameter stainless steel shaft

5.

M12-1.5x50 screw

6.

M5-1x20 screw

7.

M4-1x20 screw

8.

Allen key

1 x 2L laboratory glass bottle

PROCEDURE
1.

Both of the journals bearing with bearing housing are secured on both sides of the

frame using M12-1.5x50 bolt and nut.

2.

The shaft clamp is attached to the side of the acrylic box using M5-1x10 screw.

3.

Stainless steel shafts are used to connect the frame and acrylic box through the journal

bearings, and are tightened using Allen key on the bearing and M4-1x10 screws on the shaft
clamps.
4.

The laboratory glass bottle can be fitted with either one of the bottle caps for desired

functions.
5.

The final product is shown in the appendix.

Limitations and Boundary Conditions

A perfect project is a project that has met all the required objectives or targets that has been
set out prior to the commencement of the project. However, a perfect project does not
guarantee a flawless project without its limitations and boundary conditions. Thus, it can also
be said that the mini biodiesel plant does have its limitations and boundary conditions. This
can be seen in the form of it not being able to cater to the needs of families of many
people. The biodiesel usage will definitely exceed the biodiesel production of a large family
and this cannot be rectified in the design whatsoever as the conversion rate for waste cooking
oil to biodiesel is fixed. Also, another limitation that has been imposed on the project is the
compulsory usage of oil lamps. This is a cheaper alternative to heat up the cooking oil and is
a more viable option for the villagers who live in poverty in rural areas. This usage of oil
lamp produces less heat when compared to a Bunsen burner and thus it cannot be helped that
the time taken to heat the waste cooking oil to the desired temperature increases. Also, the
usage of electricity is prohibited as this facility is somewhat limited to the villagers in rural
areas. A motor is used instead to provide the stirring component required for the reaction.
This is another limitation as the batteries will run out unlike electricity and maintenance has
to be done. However, it does cut cost for the villagers and could also be considered as an
indirect advantage to the project.

Initial burette

30.00

30.80

31.65

readings. (ml)
Final burette

30.80

31.65

32.45

readings. (ml)
The volume of

0.80

0.85

0.80

diluted KOH used.

(ml)

Discussion
Chemical Part
FFA Neutralisation

The waste cooking oil contains free fatty acid that will affect the conversion transesterification. The presence of the free fatty acids will cause the biodiesel to differ from the
biodiesel yield as the FFA will cause soap to form instead of the methyl-ester(biodiesel).
In order to determine the FFA present in the WCO sample, A 0.1M of KOH solution is
prepared. A 1 ml sample of oil is added into a beaker containing 10ml of propan-1-ol which
acts as a solvent for the oil. The beaker also contains 2 drops of phenolphthalein. Then the
neutralization process is carried out by the titration process.
Table 1: The readings of amount KOH solution needed to neutralized FFA of 1ml oil.
As shown in the results, the average amount of KOH solution used to neutralized
the FFA of 1 ml oil is 0.816ml. As the concentration of KOH solution used in the
titration process was 0.1mol/l and the molecular weight of KOH is 56.1056g/mol
we can know that the KOH mol that were needed to neutralize the FFA in 1ml of
oil. Then the KOH weight required for neutralize 500ml of oil is calculated. [6]

KOH mol used in titrating FFA of 1 ml of oil (mol) = Volume used in titration x
Concentration of acid

0.816 ml
(1 L) x 0.1 mol/ L
1000ml

=8.167 x10^-5 mol.

The weight of KOH used to

= Mol x Molecular weight

neutralized FFA of 1 ml oil (g)

= 8.167 x10^-5 mol x

56.1065 g/mol
= 4.5822 x 10^-3 g

The weight required to neutralize 500mlof oil

= 4.5822 x 10^-3 g x 500ml

= 2.2911 g is required o neutralize

500ml of WCO.

Base catalyst neutralization

The biodiesel produced has a pH 8 which is slightly alkali. Some acid should be added to
neutralize it so that it is well-functioning. [8]
The molarity of hydrochloric acid (HCl) provided from laboratory is 10M. The concentration
of HCl is diluted to 0.1 so that the titration can be conducted under a safer environment.
Equation 3 shows the formula to calculate the distilled water needed to dilute the HCl
solution in a 500ml volumetric flask.
M1V1 = M2V2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(7)
Where M is the molarity of HCl, V is the volume of distilled water. Therefore,
10 V1 = 0.1(0.5)

V1

= 5x10-3 L

Therefore 5 ml of HCl is required to produce a HCl solution with 0.1M in a 500ml volumetric
flask. Table 2 shows the experimental readings of HCl needed to neutralize 5ml of biodiesel.
Initial burette

61.00

61.20

61.40

readings. (ml)
Final burette

61.20

61.40

61.60

readings. (ml)
The volume of

0.20

0.20

0.2

diluted HCl used.

(ml)
Table 2 : The readings of amount HCl needed to neutralized 5ml of biodiesel produced.
The results from table 2 show that 0.2ml of 0.1M of HCl solution is needed to neutralize 5ml
of biodiesel produced. Hence, in order to obtain 100ml of better biodiesel, 4ml of 0.1M HCl
should be added to the initial product drained out from the separation tank.

Mechanical Part
Metal frame
The original metal frame (see appendix figure) is made of aluminum bar with weight of 100
N for each meter. To construct a metal frame for our project, it would require a total 4.2 m
long of aluminum bar. Thus, the total weight of the metal frame would be 4.2m x 100 N/m=
420N. The aluminum frame is then replaced with stainless steel bar which has weight of 90N
for every meter. Hence, if the metal frame is made of stainless steel instead of aluminum (see
appendix figure), the total weight will be reduced to 4.2 m x 90 N/m= 378N, which is less
than the weight of original metal frame. The original L-shaped support (see appendix figure)
is replaced by two supporting bars (see appendix figure) at which two ends of each bar is cut
off 45 to the vertical. Main reason is the L-shaped support does not help in reduce the

tension in the truss as the two supporting bars acting horizontally which do not help to share
the load in vertical direction. [9] On the other hand, when the two 45 slanted bars are
resolved to their respective horizontal and vertical component; the vertical component or each
bar helps to share the weight of the metal frame. Next, the original bar is lifter up by using
the L-shaped support and then it is replaced to a single metal bar (see appendix figure).
Since both of them serve the purpose, moreover the former one adds weight to the overall
design, thus the latter one is chosen as a new design.

Bearing
The older design had one missing bearing (see appendix figure) and the bearing that is used
is pillow blocks (see appendix figure). Pillow blocks with bearings mounted in rigid
housings of simple construction are the most common bearing units. [10] They are
extensively used for various kinds of transmission equipment and machinery. The pillow
block is replaced by Oval Flanged Units (see appendix figure). These bearing housings have
oval flanges which can be easily installed onto a machine with two bolts. This type of bearing
unit is suitable where mounting space is limited or where it is necessary to minimize the
distance between shafts. The reason why over flanged unit is chosen over pillow blocks type
bearing because pillow blocks require two extra metals to mount on top and this will add
weight to the overall design. Furthermore, the second type bearing is more suitable because it
helps to reduce spaces due to the briefcase size biodiesel plant has limited spaces.
Holder for the glass
As mentioned above, the trans-esterification process needs heating during conversion of
waste cooking oil to biodiesel. However, the old design did not have space for heating as the
bottom part of the glass is placed on a piece of acrylic glass (see appendix figure). The new
design allows heating process to take place by leaving the base emptied and the base is
replaced by two bolts where wire gauze will mount on top of it (see appendix figure). The
presence of wire gauze is important as direct heating to tank is hazardous. Next, the faulty of
the old design is difficulty in taking out the glass (see appendix figure). The main reason the
glass needs to be taken out is to fill it in with waste cooking oil and extract biodiesel when
reaction is done besides washing. The new design is designed in such a way that one of the
acrylic pieces is made to be open-able; where one side is connected via door hinge (see

appendix figure) while another side is screwed with a door lock(see appendix figure). [11]
In addition, a hole which has a shape as show in figure (see appendix figure) is drilled to the
upper acrylic piece to enable the glass to be smoothly taken out.

Shaft clamp
The original shaft is welded to a screw and the screw is welded to a metal plate and metal
plate holds the whole glass bottle by using bolt and nut (see appendix figure). Although
welding is simpler, faster and more cost effective, it is not suitable because welds often
contain defects. So in practice welding is less reliable, less predictable than other methods.
Problems caused by faulty bolts are relatively rare; problems caused by bad welds are fairly
common. Obviously, welding creates a permanent joint, not desirable if parts need to be fixed
or replaced later. Welding very thin sheets is difficult, in some situation rivets or screws are
more cost-effective for thin sheet metal. [12] Thus, it is replaced with a stainless steel shaft
clamp (see appendix figure). The shaft is connected to the clamp by using Allen screw (see
appendix figure) because the shaft can be easily disassembled with the clamp just by using
an Allen key.

Handle, Oil lamp and Cap

The end of the shaft of the original design has no handle. A handle makes the product more
ergonomically as there is lesser pressure point acting on the hand compared to a product with
no handle. [13] Besides, the heating process and stirring process could not take place in the
old tank due to absence of oil lamp and motor cap. Extraction of biodiesel is also impossible
because there is no valve to control the flow of the mixture. Hence, a handle (see appendix
figure) is made by welding it to one end of the shaft and this would enable the acrylic box to
turn easily and ergonomically. Next, the oil lamp (see appendix figure) is made by recycling
a small bottle, filled with kerosene as a source fuel. Lastly two different caps (motor cap used
in stirring and valve cap used in extraction (see appendix figure) are prepared.

Heat Source
There are several heat sources that have been experimented on for the heating of the used
cooking oil from room temperature to 60oC. Among the sources that have been experimented
on, the best source has been picked and analysed to ensure that the heating of the used
cooking oil would be fast and efficient.[14] However, there is a limitation that has been
imposed on us. This limitation comes in the form of prohibiting the use of a Bunsen burner as
a heat source. Therefore, the next best heating source that has been chosen is an oil lamp with
kerosene as its fuel. Below is the analysis done on the Bunsen burner and the oil lamp:
Bunsen burner
Time (min)
Temperature

0
28

3
33

6
39

9
48

12
56

13.9
60

(oC)
Table 3: Heating of used cooking oil with Bunsen burner

Graph 4: Heating curve of Bunsen burner for used cooking oil

Kerosene
Time (min)
Temperature

0
28

5
30

10
34

15
43

20
52

25
58

26.25
60

(oC)
Table 3: Heating of used cooking oil with oil lamp and kerosene

Graph 2: Heating curve of oil lamp and kerosene for used cooking oil

Most importantly, what has to be considered for the stake holders which are the people of
rural areas is the simplicity of the project. Therefore, the exact volume of kerosene needed to
heat the used cooking oil to 60oC is calculated and the user needs only to input that volume of
kerosene to the oil lamp and let it run. The kerosene will be used finished just as the
temperature of the used cooking oil reaches 60oC. For this purpose, experiments have been
done to calculate the exact volume of kerosene to heat the used cooking oil to a temperature
of 60oC.
As shown graph 1, we can see that as the time taken for the cooking oil increase as the rate

Amount of kerosene needed

Temperature(oC)
Volume of

28
200

30
186

34
169

43
153

52
133

58
122

60
117.5

kerosene present
in oil lamp(mL)
Table 5: Volume of kerosene present in the oil lamp with respect to time

Graph 3: Graph of Volume of Kerosene Present in Oil Lamp against Temperature

From the results of the experiment and the graphs that are plotted, the volume of kerosene
needed can be calculated based on the formula:
Volume of kerosene needed =Final volumeInitial volume

Therefore, from the experimental results:

Volume of kerosene needed = 200 117.5
= 82.5mL
The marketability of this project is decent as well. The cost of this mini biodiesel plant would
not be expensive as the materials used in its construction are relatively cheap such as acrylic,
a glass bottle, bearing and a stainless steel stand. Thus, the price if it were to go on the market

would be affordable by the villagers of the rural areas. Also, this serves as a long term
investment as the conversion process is repeatable and in the long run the cost saved by using
biodiesel over petrol will exceed that of its original buying price. Not only that, the concept
of converting waste cooking oil which is usually disposed of after being used into useful
biodiesel is another point which makes it all the more marketable. All in all, this product will
definitely fare well in the market and will also generate profit for both parties be it the buyer
or seller.
Material
Acrylic piece
Glass bottle
Bearing
Stainless Steel
Metallic Paint
Total cost

Estimated Price
RM10
RM20
RM30
RM50
RM3
RM113

Table 1: Estimated manufacturing cost

Based on this estimate of the total manufacturing cost, let the profit margin be a 50% profit margin.
With this, the price that the product enters the market would be:
RM113 * 1.15 = RM169.5
A price of approximately RM169.5 is not too expensive and is a good investment to make as it serves
as a long term investment. This will definitely benefits the buyers in long term.

Conclusion and Recommendations

It can be concluded that the project is a success as the biodiesel that was produced was able to
run the diesel engine. Not only that, the biodiesel produced was found to be better in several
aspects such as less carbon monoxide and nitrogen monoxide emission from the exhaust
fumes of the engine that a B-5 grade biodiesel. The entire chemical process of the project can
basically be broken down into several sections which are the filtration of waste cooking oil,
heating of waste cooking oil, stirring and mixing of the reactants, separation of glycerol from
biodiesel, washing of biodiesel and lastly neutralization and blending of biodiesel. The ratio
that was chosen in the reaction was a ratio of 1:5 methanol to waste cooking oil which was
found out through experiment to produce the highest yield of biodiesel. An appropriate
amount of potassium hydroxide (KOH) has to be added to neutralize the free fatty acids
(FFA) present in waste cooking oil and also function as a catalyst for the entire process. The
biodiesel produced has to be neutralized as well through the addition of the appropriate
amount of 0.1M hydrochloric acid (HCl) as within the biodiesel there is the unreacted
catalyst KOH which would cause the biodiesel to be slightly basic (pH 8). Regarding the
mechanical part of the project, several problems were posed such as the banning of electricity
to stir the reactants and a Bunsen burner in the project due to the fact that it defeats the
purpose of producing the project for the poor villagers of rural areas who most likely would
be unable to purchase the product if it were too expensive. Thus, the solutions to these
problems came in the form of stirrer attached to a motor powered by two AA batteries to
perform the stirring and the usage of an oil lamp and kerosene after to heat the waste cooking
oil. The choice of these alternatives was considered thoroughly as explained in the report and
is much cheaper than the alternatives. A recommendation that can be made regarding the
project is to allow the usage of electricity in the project. Electricity usage would simplify
many aspects of the project such as allowing an electric stirrer, a circuit to open the door of
the acrylic automatically and also to invert the glass box.

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