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Student Initiatives Biodiesel Initiative Project Description The Biodiesel Initiative plans to collect waste vegetable oil (WVO) from all University dining halls and convert it to biodiesel fuel that can be used by campus vehicles maintained by the Facilities & Services Garage and Car Pool. It is sponsored by the student group Engineers Without Borders. Project Goals The University dining halls currently produce approximately 250 gallons of WVO per week during the school year, which can yield 250 gallons of biodiesel. The Garage & Car Pool currently utilizes approx. 7,500 gallons of diesel each month. Once full production is achieved, at least 8,000 gallons of biodiesel will be produced each academic year, saving an expected $8,000 per year at this scale. Biodiesel projects like this are estimated to have an energy balance of 1:3.5; (for every one unit of energy input, 3.5 are produced). As the $10,000 pilot project continues, the student team will also seek non-University sources of WVO (i.e. local restaurants) to create more biodiesel for use by the University and also to possibly expand biodiesel use to the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District. The team also hopes to use its expertise to aid other organizations in developing biodiesel projects of their own within Illinois. |
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