Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audience is agricultural extension agents using eXtension, biodiesel producers, and consumers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Although several graduate students were trained as part of this project, the most significant accomplishment was the development of K-12 and 4H bioenergy and biodiesel curricula that addressed an area that had not been addressed before. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The primary means of distribution is through the internet, both via eXtension where virtually all of the biodiesel information was developed as part of this project, and our own website www.biodieseleducation.org, which has become known as a source of unbiased, accurate information on biodiesel. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
All of the major goals of the project were accomplished. During the period covered by the project, biodiesel production/consumption in the U.S. increased from about 545 million gallons/yr to over 1.7 billion gallons/yr. We contributed to this dramatic growth by developing and producing educational materials for government and private entities that operate vehicle fleets, other interested entities, and the general public about the benefits of biodiesel utilization. We greatly enhanced out previous efforts to collect and disseminate information, coordinated with other biodiesel education programs (especially the National Biodiesel Board), created a nationwide network to deliver biodiesel information (eXtension), identified and documented the benefits of biodiesel, and identified gaps in the technical knowledge base and develop strategies to address the gaps.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
" Bi, Z., and B. He. 2013. Characterization of microalgae for the purpose of biofuels production. Transactions of the ASABE (FPE-10090-2012; accepted/ in press)
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
" J.H. Van Gerpen; Oct. 2012. Spontaneous Combustion: An Overlooked Fire Source,. Biodiesel Magazine. http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/8770/spontaneous-combustion-an-overlooked-fire-source
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
" Pradhan A., D.S. Shrestha, J. Van Gerpen, A. McAloon, W. Yee, M. Haas, J.A. Duffield. 2012. Reassessment of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions for soybean biodiesel. Transactions of the ASABE, 55(6):2257-2264.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
" Maglinao, R, and B. He. 2012. Verification of propylene glycol preparation from glycerol via acetol pathway by in situ hydrogenolysis. Biofuels 3(6):675-682.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
" He, B., and J. H. Van Gerpen. 2012. Application of ultrasonication in transesterification processes for biodiesel production. Biofuels 3(4): 479-488.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
" He, B., and J. H. van Gerpen. 2012. Analyzing biodiesel for contaminants and moisture retention. Biofuels 3(3): 351-360.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A. As of May 2012, our Biodiesel Safety Video has been viewed over 22,000 times on YouTube. B. eXtension web pages written and published to the public site (www.eXtension.org). The Biodiesel Education Team at the University of Idaho has contributed 40 articles, 20 FAQs, and 10 news items to the biodiesel section of eXtension. From September 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012, our eXtension articles have earned over 37,000 unique pageviews. We continue publicizing the eXtension biodiesel articles through our web site, through Twitter, and to state departments of transportation, state energy offices, our internal biodiesel press list, and eXtension and biofuels listservs. C. Other written materials: We have written materials for a variety of audiences, from college students who may be unfamiliar with biodiesel, to experts such as biodiesel producers and biodiesel researchers, such as: Tech note: "Using Adsorbents to Lower FFA Levels in Biodiesel Feedstocks" http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/Adsorbents.pdf We created and posted a new "Biodiesel Research News" flyer, which we make available to visitors to our lab, and which we hand out to the general public at conferences. See this at: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/Biodiesel2012.pdf D. Web site blog (http://quartz.cals.uidaho.edu/biodiesel/) April 2012: Engines and Vehicles Used for Biodiesel Testing: http://quartz.cals.uidaho.edu/biodiesel/forum.phpitemid=34 February 2012: Using an Appropriate Amount of Methanol: Methanol Calculator and Molecular Weight Calculator Can Help: http://quartz.cals.uidaho.edu/biodiesel/forum.phpitemid=30 E.Scholarly articles and book chapters (See list provided elsewhere) F. Curricula and K-12 schools: 4-H curriculum: We completed a student workbook and an instructor manual. High school chemistry curriculum: We completed an outline and drafted seven lessons. We are in the process of revising and editing the lessons. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: High school chemistry teachers, 4-H program leaders, Biodiesel producers and plant operators PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The overall goal set by the team at the University of Idaho (UI) was to develop and distribute educational materials that support advances in infrastructure development, technology transfer, fuel quality, fuel safety, and increased feedstock production. Our objectives to support the overall goal are: (1) To enhance current efforts to collect and disseminate biodiesel information; (2) To coordinate with other biodiesel educational programs and with Federal, State, and local programs aimed at encouraging biodiesel use; (3) To assist in creating a nationwide networking system that delivers biodiesel information to targeted audiences, including users, distributors, and other infrastructure-related personnel; (4) To identify and document the benefits of biodiesel utilization, and (5) To identify technological and information gaps and develop strategies to address the gaps. With these goals and objectives in mind, the UI team has been actively working during Year 4 of the project to extend the web-based materials on biodiesel for the USDA's eXtension web site and to promote this site so it gains wider distribution and use. We also developed curricular materials for high school students in chemistry as well as materials for 4-H programs suitable for 8-12 year old children. We continued to collect and disseminate biodiesel information by publishing research papers in technical journals and conferences proceedings, presenting at biodiesel / bioenergy conferences, maintaining our program website, and attending technical meetings and interested party's events. We continued to provide consulting on production technology and fuel quality to biodiesel plants, and lab tours for students and other interested parties. We continued to conduct research relevant to the industry. We continued to make biodiesel to fuel our own departmental vehicles, as well as two University of Idaho vehicles. All of these activities support our overall goal to develop and distribute educational materials that support the commercialization of biodiesel.
Publications
- He B., and J. H. van Gerpen. 2012. Analyzing biodiesel for contaminants and moisture retention. Biofuels 3(3): 351-360.
- Maglinao, R, and B. He. 2011. Catalytic thermochemical conversion of glycerol to simple and polyhydric alcohols using Raney nickel catalyst. Ind. & Eng. Chem. Research 50 (10): 6028-6033.
- Hansen, A., B. He, and N. Engeseth. 2011. Food versus fuel characteristics of vegetable oils and animal fats. Trans. ASABE 54(4): 1407-1414.
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall goal set by the team of the University of Idaho (UI) was to develop and distribute educational materials that support advances in infrastructure development, technology transfer, fuel quality, fuel safety, and increased feedstock production. Our objectives to support the overall goal are: (1) To enhance current efforts to collect and disseminate biodiesel information; (2) To coordinate with other biodiesel educational programs and with Federal, State, and local programs aimed at encouraging biodiesel use, including the EPAct Program; (3) To assist in creating a nationwide networking system that delivers biodiesel information to targeted audiences, including users, distributors, and other infrastructure-related personnel; (4) To identify and document the benefits of biodiesel utilization (e.g. lifecycle costing), and (5) To identify technological and information gaps and develop strategies to address the gaps. Bearing the goal and objectives in mind, the UI team has been actively working during Year 3 of the project. A major focus of this year's work has been to extend the web-based materials on biodiesel for the USDA's eXtension web site, to reach out to a broader audience. We wrote 8 new articles for this site. We continued to collect and disseminate biodiesel information by publishing research papers in technical journals and conferences proceedings, presenting at biodiesel / bioenergy conferences, maintaining our program website, and attending technical meetings and interested party's events. We publicized our research on life cycle analysis through interviews, webinars, conferences, and web-based publications. This included a widely publicized release of the latest estimate for biodiesel's energy balance, which is over 5.5. We continued to provide consulting on production technology and fuel quality to biodiesel plants, and lab tours for students and other interested parties. We continued to conduct research relevant to the industry. We continued to make biodiesel to fuel our own departmental vehicles, as well as two University of Idaho vehicles. PARTICIPANTS: One of the original project participants, Dr. Doug Haines has retired from the project. He has been replaced by Dr. Joseph Thompson, who leads our laboratory research program. TARGET AUDIENCES: Government and private entities that operate vehicle fleets - the general public - biodiesel producers and distributors and other groups involved with biodiesel infrastructure. Agricultural extension agents were a particular target of this year's efforts through the eXtension program where we contributed and continue to contribute content to biodiesel web pages. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The outcome of the Year 3 project includes: fifteen (15) new articles written and published to public eXtension site; five (5) scholarly articles, book chapters, or books, published or accepted for publication; over 1000 gallons biodiesel made to fuel six (6) vehicles including an on-campus delivery van and a handicap access shuttle vehicle; seven (7) talks, workshops, presentations, and/or conference displays; participation in nine (9) additional conferences or tele-conferences; six (6) research projects concluded or in progress; four (4) production plants visited for consultation; biodiesel lab tours to about three-hundred (250) visitors and students.
Publications
- Maglinao, R, and B. He. 2011. Catalytic Thermochemical Conversion of Glycerol to Simple and Polyhydric Alcohols Using Raney Nickel Catalyst. Ind. & Eng. Chem. Research. Published online on March 31.
- Pradhan, D. S. Shrestha, A. McAloon, W. Yee, M. Haas, J. A. Duffield. 2011. Energy life‐cycle assessment of soybean biodiesel revisited. Transactions of the ASABE, 54(3) In Press.
- Wall, J., J. Thompson, and J. Van Gerpen. 2011. Soap and Glycerin Removal from Biodiesel Using Waterless Processes. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 54(2):535-541.
- Wang, P.S., J. Thompson, and J. Van Gerpen. 2011. Minimizing the Cost of Biodiesel Blends for Specified Cloud Points. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society. 88:563-572.
- Zhang, T., Y. Chao, N. Liu, J. Thompson, M. Garcia, B. He, J. Van Gerpen, and S. Chen. 2011. Case Study of Biodiesel-Diesel Blends as a Fuel in Marine Environment. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science. 1:65-71
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall goal set by the team of the University of Idaho (UI) was to develop and distribute educational materials that support advances in infrastructure development, technology transfer, fuel quality, fuel safety, and increased feedstock production. Our objectives to support the overall goal are: (1) To enhance current efforts to collect and disseminate biodiesel information; (2) To coordinate with other biodiesel educational programs and with Federal, State, and local programs aimed at encouraging biodiesel use, including the EPAct Program; (3) To assist in creating a nationwide networking system that delivers biodiesel information to targeted audiences, including users, distributors, and other infrastructure-related personnel; (4) To identify and document the benefits of biodiesel utilization (e.g. lifecycle costing), and (5) To identify technological and information gaps and develop strategies to address the gaps. Bearing the goal and objectives in mind, the UI team has been actively working during Year 2 of the project. A major focus of this year's work has been to develop web-based materials on biodiesel for the USDA's eXtension web site, to reach out to a broader audience. We wrote 34 articles and 20 FAQs for this site. See below for a list of articles authored by our team that are published on the public eXtension site. We continued to collect and disseminate biodiesel information by publishing research papers in technical journals and conferences proceedings, presenting at biodiesel / bioenergy conferences, maintaining our program website, and attending technical meetings and interested party's events. We held an educational event to celebrate 30 years of biodiesel research at the University of Idaho, which was attended by over 70 people from Idaho, Washington, and other states. We publicized our research on life cycle analysis through interviews, webinars, conferences, and web-based publications. We continued to provide consulting on production technology and fuel quality to biodiesel plants, and lab tours for students and other interested parties. We continued to conduct research relevant to the industry. We continued to make biodiesel to fuel our own departmental vehicles, as well as two University of Idaho vehicles. PARTICIPANTS: One of the project participants, Dr. Doug Haines, retired at the end of the project period. He will be replaced by Dr. Joseph Thompson, who will strengthen our laboratory research component. TARGET AUDIENCES: Government and private entities that operate vehicle fleets - the general public - biodiesel producers and distributors and other groups involved with biodiesel infrastructure. Agricultural extension agents were a particular target of this year's efforts through the eXtension program where we contributed and continue to contribute content to biodiesel web pages. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The outcome of the Year 2 project includes: thirty-four (34) articles written and published to public eXtension site; eight (8) scholarly articles, book chapters, or books, published or accepted for publication; over 600 gallons biodiesel made to fuel five (5) vehicles; thirteen (13) talks, workshops, presentations, and/or conference displays; participation in nine (9) additional conferences or tele-conferences; six (6) research projects concluded or in progress; five (5) production plants visited for consultation; biodiesel lab tours to about three-hundred (300) visitors and students.
Publications
- Wang, P.S., J. Thompson, T.E. Clemente, and J. Van Gerpen, Improving the Fuel Properties of Soy Biodiesel, Accepted for publication in the Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, July 2010.
- Caliskan, H., M.E. Tat, A. Hepbasli, and J.H. Van Gerpen, Exergy Analysis of Engines Fueled with Biodiesel from High Oleic Soybeans Based on Experimental Data, Int. J. Exergy. 7(1):20-36. 2010.
- Van Gerpen, J. Biodiesel from Vegetable Oils. Chapter 7 in Biomass to Biofuels: Strategies for Global Industries. Ed. By A.A. Vertes, N. Qureshi, H.P. Blaschek, and H. Yukawa. John Wiley, New York. 2010.
- Van Gerpen, J. and B. He. Biodiesel Production and Properties in Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Liquid, Royal Society of Chemistry, RSC Publishing, submitted November 2009. Van Gerpen, J., Biodiesel: Small Scale Production and Quality Requirements, in Biofuels-Methods and Protocols, Humana/Springer Series on Methods in Molecular Biology, October 2009.
- He, B.B., J.H. Van Gerpen, J.C. Thompson (2009). Sulfur Content in Selected Oils and Fats and their Corresponding Methyl Esters. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 25(2): 223‐226.
- The Biodiesel Handbook, Ed. By G. Knothe, J. Krahl, and Jon Van Gerpen, 2nd edition released 2010. American Oil Chemists Society
- Shrestha D.S. and A. Pradhan. 2010. Chapter 18: Energy life cycle assessment of a biofuel production system. In Bioenergy and Biofuels from Biowastes and Biomass, 411-433. Khanal S.K., Surampalli, R.Y., Zhang, T., Lamsal B.P., Tyagi R.D. and Kao C.M. eds. American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Virginia.
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Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall goal set by the team of the University of Idaho (UI) was to develop and distribute educational materials that support advances in infrastructure development, technology transfer, fuel quality, fuel safety, and increased feedstock production. Our objectives to support the overall goal are: (1) To enhance current efforts to collect and disseminate biodiesel information (2) To coordinate with other biodiesel educational programs and with Federal, State, and local programs aimed at encouraging biodiesel use, including the EPAct Program (3) To create a nationwide networking system that delivers biodiesel information to targeted audiences, including users, distributors, and other infrastructure-related personnel (4) To identify and document the benefits of biodiesel utilization (e.g. lifecycle costing), and (5) To identify technological and information gaps and develop strategies to address the gaps. Bearing the goal and objectives in mind, the UI team has been actively working during the Year 1 of the project. We continued to collect and disseminate biodiesel information by publishing research papers in technical journals and conferences proceedings, presenting at biodiesel / bioenergy conferences, maintaining our program website, technical meetings, and interested party's events. We coordinated with USDA CSREES, University of Vermont, Idaho National Laboratory's Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) and other programs on the effort of biodiesel information collection and dissemination, research collaboration, and technical consultation. A major focus of this year's work has been to coordinate the USDA CSREES eXtension COP (Community of Practice) program to develop web-based materials on biodiesel to reach a broader audience. Doing so, we also systematically summarized and documented the benefits of biodiesel, and provided possible responses to challenges and/or difficulties of biodiesel utilization. We also reached out to industry and identified technological gaps and initiated projects to seek possible solutions to fill the information gaps. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Government and private entities that operate vehicle fleets - the general public - biodiesel producers and distributors and other groups involved with biodiesel infrastructure. Agricultural extension agents were a particular target of this years efforts through the eXtension program where we contributed and continue to contribute content to biodiesel web pages. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The outcomes of the Year 1 project includes: - seven (7) workshops organized or sponsored - nine (9) written materials and media disseminated / published as journal articles, conference papers, video, etc - fifteen (15) web pages developed for the USDA/ University of Vermont eXtension COP program - twenty seven (27) presentations given to various audience nationwide - twenty five (25) biodiesel facility visits / consultations - at least forty (40) inquiries for biodiesel information or technical questions answered. Over 250 people educated with workshops on biodiesel that were at least 2.5 hours long. Four biodiesel plants made changes to their processes after our recommendations that improved quality and/or profitability. Washington State Ferries are currently using biodiesel after a successful pilot test that we helped conduct.
Publications
- He, B. B., J. H. Van Gerpen, and J. C. Thompson. 2009. Sulfur content in selected oils and fats and their corresponding methyl esters. Applied Eng. Agri. 25(2):223-226.
- Zawadzki A., D. S. Shrestha. 2009. Glycerol sensing in biodiesel using turbidimetry. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(4):1261-1265.
- Zawadzki A., D. S. Shrestha. 2009. Biodiesel feedstock and blend level sensing using visible light spectra and neural network. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(2):539-542.
- Maglinao, R. L. and B. He. 2009. Thermal Conversion of Glycerol to Primary Alcohols Using a Batch Pressure Reactor. ASABE Paper No.09-6673. ASABE, St. Joseph, Mich.
- Maglinao, R. L. and B. He. 2009. Effects of Temperature and Sulfuric Acid Levels on the Dehydration of Glycerol. ASABE Paper No.09-6679. ASABE, St. Joseph, Mich.
- Graef, G., B. J. LaVallee, P. Tenopir, M. Tat, B. J. Schweiger, A. J. Kinney, J. Van Gerpen and T. E. Clemente, 2009. A high-oleic-acid and low-palmitic acid soybean: Agronomic performance and evaluation as a feedstock for biodiesel. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 7:411-421
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