Taiwan’s NCKU researchers develop new method to cost-effectively produce biodiesel from used cooking oil - EBR
Research team at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) of Taiwan has developed a new microwave-based process that transforms waste cooking oils into biodiesel in ten seconds.
Developed by visiting professor Aharon Gedanken of the Department of Chemistry at BarIlan University, Israel, the new modified microwave can process around 500kg of waste oil per day to produce biodiesel.
NCKU's Department of Materials Science and Engineering professor Jiunn-der Liao and Gedanken have cooperated on the research and revealed their finding, which depends on strontium oxide (SrO) as a catalyst.
According to the team, half cooked oil will undergo reaction in a container that gives three layers - biodiesel, SrO and glycerol and SrO, the catalyst, will be removed and reused to conduct at least ten more times the reaction.
Their findings have revealed the new process as a feasible, most efficient and cost-effective approach to produce biodiesel.
They claim the catalyst will help convert used cooking oil into biodiesel and glycerol in the new microwave oven in around ten to 40 seconds.
The university is currently in the process of applying for a patent for the new technology and expects to commercialize it within a year through cooperation with local businesses, Liao said.
"We hope that the budget for 2014 will be approved and then we'll purchase the machine that will be able to run the cooked oils through the microwave which will be modified into a system to be able to run large quantity.
"Prof. Gedanken has been named as one of ISI's Highly Cited Researchers and his study has been cited in more than 14,000 scientific articles. We're honored to invite him over to conduct the research project as Visiting Chair Professor," added Liao.
Developed by visiting professor Aharon Gedanken of the Department of Chemistry at BarIlan University, Israel, the new modified microwave can process around 500kg of waste oil per day to produce biodiesel.
NCKU's Department of Materials Science and Engineering professor Jiunn-der Liao and Gedanken have cooperated on the research and revealed their finding, which depends on strontium oxide (SrO) as a catalyst.
According to the team, half cooked oil will undergo reaction in a container that gives three layers - biodiesel, SrO and glycerol and SrO, the catalyst, will be removed and reused to conduct at least ten more times the reaction.
Their findings have revealed the new process as a feasible, most efficient and cost-effective approach to produce biodiesel.
They claim the catalyst will help convert used cooking oil into biodiesel and glycerol in the new microwave oven in around ten to 40 seconds.
The university is currently in the process of applying for a patent for the new technology and expects to commercialize it within a year through cooperation with local businesses, Liao said.
"We hope that the budget for 2014 will be approved and then we'll purchase the machine that will be able to run the cooked oils through the microwave which will be modified into a system to be able to run large quantity.
"Prof. Gedanken has been named as one of ISI's Highly Cited Researchers and his study has been cited in more than 14,000 scientific articles. We're honored to invite him over to conduct the research project as Visiting Chair Professor," added Liao.
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