The purpose of this lab was to have students make a batch of biodiesel from
vegetable oil, methanol, and potassium hydroxide. Students added a mixture
of 0.4 g KOH per 25 ml metanol to 100 mls of vegetable oil. The mixture
was then heated to 50 degrees Celsius and stirred for 15 minutes. The
biodiesel was allowed to settle out overnight. After extracting the
biodiesel it was rinsed with 10 mls of water to remove the soap. Density,
viscosity, and flame color with a wooden splint soaked in the material were
compared between plain vegetable oil and the biodiesel that was made. The
biodiesel could also have been added to a small amount of steel wool and then burned in
order to calculate the heat of combustion of biodiesel.