Technology and validation methods for producing biodiesel have been updated and have kept advancing. Creative raw materials used in producing environmentally friendly biodiesels have also attracted interest from scientists. Thus, learning and teaching methods on biodiesel production at the high school level need to be up to date. However, there…

Integrating service learning with undergraduate research, the student biodiesel project converted all waste vegetable oil (WVO) from campus dining centers into a sustainable biofuel used by campus vehicles, allowing half of the campus diesel energy needs to be met by a material (WVO) that was formerly a waste. Biodiesel reduced air pollution from…

This paper presents a case study examining the current controversial issue of palm oil production for manufacturing biodiesel in Indonesia. The study looks at how this issue was used as a context to teach chemistry at the undergraduate level. The lesson unit promotes general educational skills, which students need to develop in order to become…

An experimental procedure is presented that was developed by fifth-year chemical engineering and industrial chemistry undergraduates at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro doing the discipline on Experimental Organic Technology. The aim of this study was to apply the solvatochromic effect of the dye Nile Blue chloride to the characterization…

Biodiesel is an important biomass, largely employed in the transport sector and produced from vegetable oils. Additionally, waste cooking oils may be reused to produce biodiesel fuel, minimizing environmental pollution. A laboratory experiment that affords a widespread way to discuss degradation concepts and tools for used vegetable oil…

A modular experiment for upper-level undergraduate students is presented, featuring the product cycle and process evaluating the quality and quantity of biodiesel obtained from a microalgae feedstock grown under carbon-supplemented and nutrient-deprived conditions. Batch reactors are used to cultivate and harvest microalgae, which undergo…

Guiding students to become practicing scientists entails teaching them the specialized ways of collaborating, writing, and thinking that these professionals utilize every day. Laboratory experiences provide unique opportunities for student-centered curricular activities that mimic these skills. The biodiesel laboratory experience described here…

Biodiesel is an important alternative fuel synthesized by the trans-esterification of vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled greases. In this experiment, students prepared biodiesel through the base-catalyzed trans-esterification of several vegetable oils, which were subsequently analyzed in comparison with conventional petroleum-based fuels to…

A new, general approach to the organic chemistry laboratory is introduced that is based on learning about organic chemistry techniques and research methods by exploring the natural products found in local native plants. As an example of this approach for the Sonoran desert region, the extraction of jojoba oil and its transesterification to…

One of the most general aims of universities is to respond to the requirements of society. Health and safety are the most important aspects of professional work and play an important role in universities, as there, future professionals are trained for their future professional life. Scientific and technical degrees require adaptation to this…

We report on a distance learning experimental project for chemistry-major students on the synthesis of ethyl dodecanoate (C[subscript 11]CO[subscript 2]Et), a model for biodiesel, considering green chemistry principles. Thus, we employed a "recyclable acid catalyst" (an ionic liquid) and used chemometrics and microwave heating (MW) to…

A safe, convenient, and environmentally benign laboratory experiment for the synthesis of biodiesel from six kinds of vegetable oils has been developed for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The experiment uses ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of a base catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Because of safer and…

This article explores the vertical alignment of two high school classes, biology and chemistry, around the core concept of biodiesel fuel production. High school teachers and university faculty members investigated biodiesel as it relates to societal impact through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers. Using an action…

This laboratory experiment leverages the pedagogical value and multidisciplinary nature of biodiesel production from vegetable oil to introduce students to continuous-flow chemistry, a modern and rapidly growing approach to chemical synthesis. An interdisciplinary approach exposes students to the practical and conceptual aspects of modern…

This laboratory investigation challenges students to synthesize, analyze, and compare viable alternative fuels to Diesel No. 2 using a renewable resource, as well as readily available reagents and supplies. During the experiment, students synthesized biodiesel from soybean oil in an average percent yield of 83.8 ± 6.3%. They then prepared fuel…