At Novgorod State University (NovSU), a prototype alternative biofuel for diesel engines based on rapeseed oil has been created. Students from the Polytechnic Institute worked on the project under the guidance of Associate Professor Sergey Kartashov.
Unlike traditional diesel fuel, the new biofuel burns completely without releasing toxic substances. Readily available components were used for its production: rapeseed oil, ethyl alcohol (40%), and baking soda. According to the developers' calculations, the cost of a liter of such fuel at wholesale purchase will be about 100 rubles.
We took 1 liter of rapeseed oil, 200 milliliters of ethyl alcohol, 3.5 grams of baking soda. First, it is necessary to mix the alcohol and soda with a blender. Pour rapeseed oil into the resulting liquid and mix with a blender for 30 minutes. At the end, leave the mixture for three hours to separate it into layers. Glycerin will settle at the bottom, and the top layer will be biofuel.
Biodiesel from vegetable oil is already used in Europe, but has not yet become widespread in Russia. The developers note that it can be produced from any vegetable oil, including used oil, which could reduce disposal costs for catering establishments.
Further research is aimed at optimizing the technology and reducing production costs.
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