One day a University of South Florida bus driver was driving along his usual route. As he was driving he was struck with an idea of using cooking oil as biodiesel fuel. The driver brought the idea back to the USF engineering department. Dr. Aydin Sunol, a chemical and biomedical engineering professor, said it could be done and the Renew-A-Bull Biodiesel project was born.
“We would like to make the campus greener using technology that will be unique for universities,” Sunol said.
Sunol is the head of the Renew-A-Bull project. The project is designed to produce biodiesel using the old cooking oil that comes from USF’s dining halls. This not only helps the dining halls get rid of their oil and waste but also provides a greener option for USF’s fuel.
“Biodiesel is a good fuel. It has good environmental impacts,” Sunol said.
This technology is not new but is also not easy. The unit where the oil is converted is mobile, solar powered and resembles a trailer. USF is creating a smaller unit that converts the oil faster. Conversions usually can take up to 50 hours but USF has found a way to speed the process up.
“We can do it in 10 to 15 minutes,” Sunol said.
This project has been going on for nine years now and it is in its second phase. It began with four years of capstone designs by USF seniors and grew into the project it is today.
“It will be a good project that students can be involved in, learn from and contribute to the society,” Sunol said.
Since 2007 a collective of 100 students has worked on the project, including designing and working in the lab. There are many opportunities for students to get involved.
One student, Shriyash Deshpande, is currently working on the project with Sunol. He not only has an interest in the project, but sees ways he can continue to work and improve it.
“I am looking into entrepreneurship opportunities and start-ups to market this technology and its product, the biodiesel,” Deshpande said.
Deshpande has received a lot of experience through the project including design, simulation and experimentation. It has influenced his future career path.
“It has been a great learning experience so far,” Deshpande said. “This experience will be crucial to whichever path I take for my future career.”
Research students aren’t the only ones that can become involved in the project.
“We want to see our fraternities, sororities and other organization help collect the cooking oil,” Sunol said. “We will buy the cooking oil from them. Everyone can be involved.”
The conversion of the cooking oil not only creates biodiesel but also byproducts such as soap. This soap is going to be put back and used in the dorms and sold in the bookstore as novelty soap. The best part is that all profits go back to student government for funding students.
“We hope to get more people involved across campus,” Sunol said.
The Renew-A-Bull Biodiesel project began in 2007. The project, which will hopefully be completed in 18 to 20 months, is expected to make 100,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel a year. With gas being sold at $4 a gallon it could save the university more than $400,00 a year. The researchers have to make sure they provide a sustainable and safe product to the USF students. Although the project is nearing completion, most students are unaware of the project.
“I didn’t know about that, that’s really cool,” Maria Vittoria Falabella, a student at USF, said.
Falabella uses the bull runner everyday. She believes in USF going green and thinks this is a move in the right direction.
“I think that would be really helpful because the bull runner is running all day,” Falabella said. “It’s one step closer to us becoming a greener school.”
USF has been nationally ranked as a sustainable and global university since 2014. The university remains top ranked because USF is set on becoming greener and putting effort into projects such as the Renew-A-Bull Biodiesel project. This can also be seen through the Student Green Energy Fund, which helps fund environmental projects.
“Projects like these have and will continue to contribute towards our efforts in reducing our impact on the environment, as well as going green and being sustainable,” Deshpande said.
There are big hopes for the success of this project. If successfully completed it will place the university among some of the top universities such as Harvard who also produces its own biodiesel. Many organizations are also looking into the technology of the project, whether it is using it, licensing it or just buying the biodiesel.
“We anticipate this to be implemented in many universities and there are many places that can benefit from this technology,” Sunol said. “It can be implemented on a large scale.”