How do I start a biodiesel initiative at my college?

Question

I would like to gather up all of the cooking oil at my college and turn it into biodeisel in my college's lab space. Then fuel the vehicles my college uses. How would I go about starting a proposal to do this and are there websites I could look at that would aid my venture. Also, can biodeisel be used in regular gasoline vehicles or only in deisel engines.

Answer 1

First, for any initiative like this you'll probably need to get a professor from either the chemistry or engineering (maybe both!) departments behind you. With their support, you can put your facts together (yes, I know you can probably do this without them, but it'll be easier with them on your side - having an 'expert' never hurts).

Get the facts down, show the costs (this may be the killer - a lot of colleges are really tight when it comes to money), then show the cost savings, the environmental savings, etc.

Then, go before the President/Dean and the board and show 'em what you've got.

Be prepared to get shot down at least once.

Check the wiki entry for biodiesel for compatibility with various engines.

Answer 2

Get in touch with the administration of your college and persuade them to help you.