Who We Are...

And who we're made of.

We are a team of students and professors in the fields of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Plant Science, Economics, and Business. Our mission is to advance the UConn biodiesel research initiative for the greater good of the environment, and to help gain national energy independence.

In the spring of 2005, our new lab began production and we successfully ran a bus and a tractor off blends of biodiesel made here on campus. We now have the funding and means to produce enough biodiesel to replace 5% of the petrodiesel fuel consumption of university vehicles, using waste vegetable oil from dining services as our feedstock. We regularly deliver biodiesel to the university motorpool.

The Beginning...

Biodiesel Research & Development Efforts Story and Pictures Courtesy of Ecohusky

During the summer of 2004, bench-scale production of biodiesel from the University of Connecticut’s waste cooking oil was investigated and developed by Greg Magoon, a Chemical Engineering undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut. Feasibility studies were performed by Chemical Engineering graduate student Joanna (Asia) Domka and the project was overseen by Chemical Engineering Professor Joe Helble. With the assistance of Dining Services, the team was able to collect enough waste vegetable oil to produce 6 gallons of pure biodiesel (B100) throughout the fall semester of 2004.

Gregory Magoon, Joanna (Asia) Domka, and Dr. Joseph Helble

Using the biodiesel produced by the team, on Nov. 12, a B-20 blend – 20% pure biodiesel mixed with 80% petroleum diesel –powered one of the University’s shuttle buses, and carried University President Philip E. Austin and other members of the University’s Building and Grounds Committee from North Hillside Road to the Depot Campus. The bus was later parked outside the campus Student Union as part of a display to educate passersby about the team’s research efforts as well as the potential future role of biodiesel at the University. To emphasize the role of waste cooking oil in the production process and celebrate the team’s success, French toast sticks and other refreshments were donated by Dining Services. Read more about this in the news article, which can be found here.

Currently...

The current scoop...

In 2005 the group established the UConn Biofuels Consortium and began production of biodiesel on a consistent basis. The group sponsored the first symposium in 2006 to get local companies, researchers, and homebrewers together to discuss the future of biodiesel and share information. It was a huge success. The symposium was hosted again in 2007 due to the fast pace of the biodiesel development.

During the spring of 2006, a continuous flow reactor designed by Cliff Weed under the direction of Prof. Richard Parnas and was constructed by students Matthew Boucher and Ryan Couture. The success of this experiment has lead to the future goal of a completely continuous biodiesel production setup from inlet to final product.

The future goal is to be able to reuse all waste oil from dining services as well as local restaurants and waste oil suppliers. Currently, the University produces 3,000-4,000 gallons of waste (vegetable oil) a year. This waste could potentially be mixed with diesel to create bio-diesel which, if used to run half of the University’s bus fleet would reduce emissions by 2.4%. If all buses ran on B-20 in the future, emissions could be reduced by 15%. Consequently, the University is currently exploring options to expand upon its biodiesel research and development efforts.