Biodisel: fuel of the future?
By Colleen Kimmett

OTTAWA — The world is realizing the consequences of fossil-fuel dependance — and these consequences aren't intangible to the average citizen anymore.

Canola plants, above, are just one possible source of biodiesel.

When petroleum supplies dwindle, customers pay at the pump. The country will risk more than it's international reputation if it doesn't meet Kyoto regulations. Pressure to comply is also coming from grassroots organizations; city residents who have more smog warnings each summer

Canada has recently become more interested in biodiesel fuel, said Dr. Marc Dube, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Ottawa.

Biodiesel is derived from new or recycled vegetable oils and animal fats. It burns much cleaner than petroleum, and is biodegradable. More importantly, said Dube, it doesn't add to the net amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

"For example, you've got a field of canola plants growing, which you turn into oil, which you turn into biodiesel," explained Dube. "You burn that in your car and it goes back into the atmosphere as CO2, which goes back to the canola plants. So it's a cycle."

Dube and and four other professors at the university, along with a team of Masters and PhD students, are researching a new method of producing large amounts of biodiesel.

"When we first started seven years ago, there was very little interest — at least in Canada. There was a big industry in Europe, and it's really established now."

France began producing biodiesel from rapeseed (canola) oil in the 1990's, using a process called transesterification. Although any diesel engine can burn pure animal fat or vegetable oil - like Diesel's crude model at the world fair - it won't work very well, or for very long.

The glycerol in oil is what causes probems. It is too viscous, and can clog the parts of a conventional diesel engine. Transesterification is the chemical process that cleaves the glycerol from the part of the oil which is burned.

The end result: A jar of biodiesel fuel.

"The whole goal there is to break the viscosity down, so it will operate in colder climates, make it flow better in your engine. Then you don't require any kind of modification to your diesel engine, you can just pour this stuff right in there," said Dube.

Traditional separation methods usually leave small amounts of oil in the biodiesel. The mixture then has to be diluted with water and "washed." But Dube said this washing method wastes water and can leave traces of the catalyst chemicals.

The method that Dube and his team have created eliminates the washing process. Using what is called a membrane reactor, the chemical reaction that separates the oil takes place in a long, heated coil.

The mixture is pumped around the coil and through a porous membrane. The oil molecules are too large to pass through, and collect in droplets on the outside of the membrane.

"They use these membranes for things like desalination, separating gases," said Dube. "A whole host of industries have used membranes, but this industry has not used membranes ever before. This is a patent we developed."

Several companies are nowinterested in the model, said Dube. The simplicity of the reactor design means that it's relatively easy to adjust. As much as 20 litres of oil or fat can be processed in about an hour.

Biodiesel fuel is already being used across the country. Cities like Halifax, Montreal and Brampton all have public buses that run on biodiesel blend. It's called B-20; a mix of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum fuel.

"That's still a huge, huge cut in emissions," said Dube.

Right now in Canada, there are no manufacturers of biodiesel as most of it comes from the United States. Dube's research could change that. He says he's not out to make millions, but wants to sell his technology to a private company so it can be used to make biodiesel commercially in Canada.

"I've always been interested in doing research that's practical, but at the same time, be able to go to sleep at night and say, well, I'm doing my part," said Dube. "It makes me feel good about what I'm doing.".