Biodiesel

• Make a batch of your own biodiesel to learn the chemistry involved in converting vegetable oil into biodiesel. Collect all the cooking oil you have in the house. Filter out any food scraps, determine the amount of catalyst needed by performing a titration and mix in the calculated amount of sodium methoxide. Remove any resulting glycerine from the reaction and check the quality of your biodiesel. Biodiesel forms from vegetable oil using the process of transesterification.
  
  

Test Energy

• Use a small engine or other piece of equipment that can run off different types of biofuels. Fill the fuel tank with the same amount of biofuel and then determine which biofuel produces the most energy. The biofuel that runs the machine the longest, using it in the same way for all biofuels tested, is the biofuel with the most energy. Some tests that are used for biofuels include the amount of noise emitted, emissions, fuel consumption and power. The type of test you use will depend on the equipment you have available as emission tests will require specialized equipment.
  
  

Costs

• This project focuses on how much traditional fuel costs versus the making and using of biofuels. You can choose to calculate all the costs for a car or a building, the choice is yours. Factor in the costs of buying the fuel and the amount of energy it produces. Trace the manufacturing of different fuels to determine which ones have the lowest cost based on the amount of energy they produce. You will be able to find which biofuel is the most cost effective for your needs.
  
  

Alternative Energy Sources

• Design a system that makes biofuels using alternative energy sources such as wind power or solar. Biofuel will require stirring and heating depending on the methods used. Find out if you can you produce all the energy that is needed to make biofuels from these energy sources. Make up a design plan and then see about testing it out in a small scale setting, suitable for a classroom.