Experiment 4A & B: Preparation of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil

Safety Notes:

 Wear gloves always when handling strong acid.

 Sulfuric acid can cause burns. If spilt on gloves carefully remove your glove by turning it inside out as
you remove it and putting it straight in the chemical waste.
 If spilt of skin, clothes or in the lab, report to your demonstrator.
 The metal solutions may cause skin irritation. If there is any skin contact wash very well with tap water.

Introduction: The high-energy content of fatty

foods can make eating large amounts of these
foods unhealthy. This same high-energy
characteristic however, can make fats a source
of fuel for vehicles with just one more step,
transesterification (Figure 4.1).

By reacting the triacylglycerol with three

equivalents of a low molecular weight alcohol
(such as methanol, ethanol or propanol) in the
presence of either an acid or base catalyst, the
glyceryl esters are transformed into three
smaller esters (Figure 4.1). In this lab you will
make biofuel out of waste chip oil in a
standard reaction (4A) and then in the second
week (4B) you will try to improve on the reaction. Waste vegetable oil is used industrially as it is a convenient
cheaper starting material and removes the cost of disposing of the waste oil.

Figure 4.1: Transesterification of vegetable oil with propanol. The R-groups (R1, R2 and R3) are long-chain
saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons (alkane and alkene chains).

Part A versus Part B of the laboratory

Experiment 4 has two parts. In the first session you will learn about how to do a transesterification and
purify the mixture to produce a useable fuel. You will also characterise the resultant fuel. You will then plan
with your group (of approximately 4 members), how to improve the reaction using the chemistry you know.
You need to do this by proposing variables to change to improve the yield and a rationale for why it would
improve the reaction. Variables like time, temperature, stirring, reagent ratios etc. are common variables
that impact many reactions and all have the possibility to improve the reaction in this lab. But there might
be some others to think about too. As a group, you will make a plan to try two different improvements

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before the end of lab 4A. This will be in the form of a method that you adapt from the method in 4A. To
help you out we have summarised a range of sensible variables to consider working within in table 4.1. The
steps that you will need to go through include;
 writing two methods (as a team) and a justification of the mechanism for improvement.
 talking to the demonstrator before the end of prac 4A to make sure your plan for 4B is safe.
 keep in mind the scientific tenet to never change more than one variable at once unless you have
to (hint: you don’t have to change more than one thing at a time here).
 Uploading the method with the justification as part of the completion of 4A.

Table 4.1: Variables for consideration in lab 4B

Alcohol Waste Oil Alcohol H2SO4 Temperature Time
n-propanol or 20 mL 8 mL – 20 mL 150 µL – 300 µL 65 - 95C Up to 1 hour
ethanol 20 mins

In 4B (scheduled two weeks later – W10) you will perform your attempted improved syntheses, assess the
results as a team, and determine if you were successful. Importantly, this is a group activity, but the
submission is individual. Please ensure that you take records of anything you might need. Do not rely on
your classmates sending you results after class; we cannot accommodate extensions because you do not
organise to take your own notes and fully prepare your own data etc.
Write up: The first write-up (see proforma online) should briefly report on your standard conditions tested
for prac 4A, present your method plan for 4B and answer a few questions. The second report will include a
justification of why the methods were chosen and what the result was. There will also be a small feedback
fruits activity to reflect on how the team worked together and what you would do differently next time
(failure to complete incurs a penalty of up to 25%).
Prelab Task: In preparation for class (4A) prepare a flow diagram in your lab notebook summarising what
you need to do in this laboratory experiment. Writing a flow diagram of what you will do during the lab will
help you immensely with understanding the lab when you are actually doing it. Show to your demonstrator
before class and include in your online submission (for 4A).

Synthesis 4A (first week) – Standard acid catalysed preparation of biodiesel

1. Put a magnetic stir bar into a 50 mL conical flask.
2. Take your 50 mL conical flask to the fume hood and dispense 8 mL of n-
propanol into the 50 mL conical flask. Using an autopipette transfer 150 uL of Retort stand
concentrated sulfuric acid to the 50 mL conical flask and mix by carefully
swirling very slowly for a few seconds while still in the fume hood.
3. Then use a 50 mL measuring cylinder to measure 20 mL of waste vegetable
oil and add to the 50 mL conical flask.
4. Place your mixture of alcohol, acid and waste oil on the hot plate stirrer,
lower probe into the conical flask ensuring the tip of the probe does not touch
the bottom of the flask. Why do you think it should not touch the bottom?
Ask a demonstrator if you can’t work this out. Ensure flask opening is covered
by aluminium foil. Why might we do this?
5. Turn on the hot plate stirrer, set speed (400-500) and set your temperature
to 85℃. Once required temperature is reached react for 50 minutes.
6. Set up for comparison results testing (i.e. the “Burning” and “Viscosity”
Figure 4.2: Experimental setup
sections below) while the reflux runs.
for synthesising biodiesel

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Note: While you are waiting plan for lab 4B.
Separation:
7. Allow the reaction mixture to cool for approximately 5 minutes.
8. Remove magnetic stirrer bar with tweezers. Transfer mixture to a separating funnel with a closed
bottom. Allow the layers to separate (this may take several minutes). Record the glycerol volume which
waiting.
9. Once two distinct phases are seen, drain the clear brown glycerol layer off the bottom into the 250 mL
‘Waste’ beaker. If this does not happen ask for help.

Wash the organic layer with NaCl:

10. Add one 15 mL portion of (aqueous) 1M NaCl solution to the organic
layer in the separating funnel.
11. Stopper the separating funnel and rock/invert very gently, being
careful to avoid forming emulsions by mixing vigorously. (If shaken
moderately or vigorously you will make a type of terrible “mayonnaise”
in your funnel which won’t split back to the starting phases, and you will
be very unhappy).
12. Vent the separating funnel at least once (as shown by the
demonstrator) to remove gas formed during washing, the reaction is
complete when there is no longer gas released during venting. Make
sure that the stopper is closed, then return the separating funnel to its
support stand and allow the layers to separate.
13. Remove the stopper from the separating funnel and drain the
aqueous (NaCl) layer off the bottom. This procedure removes any
remaining inorganic reactants and impurities.
14. Repeat steps 10-13 two more times to completely wash the organic
phase of acid and polar impurities.
15. Check the final washing with pH paper to ensure the pH is neutral
(indicates you have succeeded in removing the acids). Talk to the
demonstrator if this is not the case.
16. Remove the lid from the separating funnel and drain the ester layer
into a 100 mL beaker. Dry (remove water) the ester layer by adding 1
spoonful of Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4) and mixing with glass rod.
Figure 4.3: Experimental setup
How do you know if your sample is dry or not?
for crude product separation
17. Pre-weigh the 100 mL conical flask and record in your lab book. To with separating funnel.
gravity filter the final product put a small (pea sized) plug of cotton
wool into bottom of a small, long-stemmed funnel, place this funnel into the pre-weighed 100 mL Conical
flask to obtain the biodiesel and weigh the flask once more to obtain final weight, record all values in your
worksheet.
18. Compare the appearance (colour and clarity) of the biodiesel you have made to the waste vegetable oil
you started with. Record your observations in your lab notebook.

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B: Analysis of biodiesel quality
Use the following tests to compare the quality of your biodiesel with the starting vegetable oil.
Burning test:
1. Create two oil-lamps with 2 × 10 mL beakers, 2 × cotton wick and aluminium foil. Leave approximately
5 mm of string sticking out the top of the beaker and enough of a tail to stay submerged in the oil.
2. Place 1 mL biodiesel into one beaker. Be sure to coat the entire wick with the liquid and label the beakers
so you know which is which.
3. Place 1 mL vegetable oil (control) into the other beaker. Be sure to coat the entire wick with the liquid.
4. Wrap the foil around the top of the beaker to support the cotton wick.
5. In the designated section of the laboratory away from the flammable solvents, check the ease of lighting
each lamp, quality of flame, and time required for the flame to extinguish itself. Does one wick ignite
easier than the other? Which liquid wicks better? Which burns stronger? Can you relight the wick once it
is extinguished? What else have you observed? The importance of many observations is not clear when
first noted so write done anything you think might be useful in your lab book.

Viscosity test:
1. Fill one Pasteur pipette with vegetable oil and another with biodiesel and allow them to drain (without
the bulb) simultaneously.
2. Record the time it takes each pipette to empty. Which is more viscous, the vegetable oil or the
biodiesel? How does viscosity relate to wicking? Record your observations in your lab notebook.

Laboratory class 4B

Using your method put together in week 4A repeat a biofuel synthesis working in your team of about four
(two different reactions per group). Ensure you repeat all the same testing and note taking in your book in
order to do the comparison with the data collected in 4A and present these in the 4B results table.

Results: You should be able to describe your results in your write up. The demonstrator will help you with
this skill while you are waiting for the oil to react.

Discussion: Again, this will be re-covered during the class but also read the material on the site lab page.
Compare and comment on the yield and quality of the biodiesel produced using the two alternative
methods with the material made in 4A being the control. You should include further improvements which
could be related to the actual reaction variables, or it could be related to your technique in the laboratory.
Please do not include things like “I would be careful not to spill” or “I would be more careful about
measuring”. It goes without saying that if there was a very basic mistake that you will not repeat it.
However, if there is learning that you have gained (e.g. how to better run the reaction, test the fuel or
separate the fuel these are good to include.

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