Casey 1

Implementing the usage of Biofuel in Higher Education

Facilities

Emily Casey

Entrepreneurship Capstone

December 15, 2014

Casey 2

Executive Summary:

Colleges and universities across the United States prepare food for their students and

faculty by using cooking oil to fry the food. After the food has been prepared, this used cooking

oil is then taken and placed in a tank, where it will sit and wait for pickup. Thousands of schools

across the country dispose of their recycled cooking oil without considering the potential

opportunities of reusing their recycled cooking oil. This business venture calls for schools to stop

disposing of their recycled cooking oil, and instead, utilize it in an environmentally and

economically efficient manner.

Recycled cooking oil can be transformed into biofuel, a renewable source of energy that

will allow schools to reutilize the resources they already have available on their campuses. This

business plan focuses on how higher education facilities can utilize their recycled cooking oil as

a form of biofuel to heat their residential, academic, and facility buildings. Instead of using

heating oil to warm buildings, this business plan calls for the use of B-20; this term means that

twenty percent of a building will be heated with biofuel, while the remaining eighty percent of a

building will be heated with heating oil. By using B-20, schools will save twenty percent of their

heating oil costs, money that can be reinvested back into the schools. In addition to the cost

savings, higher education facilities will be able to reap the benefits first hand of using their own

recycled materials; typically, when someone recycles bottles or paper, another organization

produces recycled products that someone else uses.

Recycled cooking oil is readily available; it can be found in all types of schools,

hospitals, hotels, and restaurants, while the majority of the United States' heating oil comes from

foreign countries, making the United States extremely dependent upon others to provide us with

warmth. The price of recycled cooking oil remains pretty constant, while the price of heating oil

fluctuates greatly due to factors outside of the United States' control, such as the weather, politics

and economics in foreign countries, and international relations. Using recycled cooking as a form

of biofuel is also much more environmentally efficient than the use of heating oil; it can greatly

reduce the emissions of chemical compounds that can contribute to global warming and

negatively affect the health of citizens of the world. The use of recycled cooking oil as a form of

biofuel for higher education facilities to heat their buildings with is an environmental and cost

efficient means of utilizing readily available resources.

Casey 3

Overview of Business Model:

The business proposition is to develop an initiative for college and university campuses

to take their cafeterias' cooking oil, sometimes referred to as yellow grease, and transform it into

biofuel (also known as biodiesel or bioheat) to heat on campus buildings and facilities. Biofuel

is a term used to describe the process of converting a biomass, typically cooking oils, vegetables

oils, or animal oils, into a renewable source of energy, which can then be used to fuel a car, or to

heat a building.1 It is created through a complex process called transesterifcation, which can be

simply described as the process of reacting oils with alcohol combined with a catalyst, and the

end result is the production of biofuel and glycerin, which is a thick liquid commonly found in

soaps.2 Higher education facilities were specifically chosen as the target market because of the

vast amount of fried foods cooked at these establishments. The goal of this venture is to create a

sustainable model in which colleges and universities can utilize their recycled cooking oil by

turning it into biofuel to heat buildings and facilities across their campuses and to effectively

save money and reinvest it back into their schools.

Value Proposition:

The main value proposition is that this business model will allow colleges and universities the

opportunity to develop a renewable energy resource in biofuel that can be used as a source of

heat on campuses and to effectively save these respective schools money in terms of the cost of

heating oil. Biofuel is considered to be an alternative form of fuel because of how energy

efficient it is, and it can also be utilized as a form of diesel for cars. It can lower greenhouse gas

emission by 57%, and when compared to petroleum diesel, it lowers greenhouse gases by

86%.3According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the production and use of biofuel

significantly lowers carbon dioxide rates, at about 78.7%, in comparison to petroleum diesel.4

The most valuable component of this biofuel initiative is its ability to help maintain the

environment while simultaneously providing schools with the ability to heat their buildings at a

lower cost.

1 (Biofuel Basics, 2014.)2 (Biodiesel Basics, 2014.) 3 ibid4 (Kaleb, 2010.)

Casey 4

Market Analysis:

As previously mentioned, the main target market of this initiative is higher education

facilities because of their dependence on fried food to feed their students and staff. For example,

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts has approximately two thousand students and

purchases over fourteen thousand pounds of cooking oil on an annual basis.5 Williams College is

an extremely small school, yet they purchase a significant amount of cooking oil, proving that

colleges of all sizes spend a significant amount of money on fried food, but this business

proposal will allow schools to regain some of their money that was used to purchase cooking oil.

The larger the school, the more money would be spent on purchasing cooking oil, and more

money would have to be spent to heat buildings as well.

There are several environmental and economical advantages that suggest using biofuel as

a form of heating oil would be beneficial to society as a whole. One of the main advantages is

that the usage of biofuel has the potential to develop the American economy and provide a sense

of security to the American energy system. By producing and using biofuel, citizens are more

dependent upon American manufacturers, as opposed to depending upon foreign nations for the

supply of oil. It has also the potential to improve the economy because it will provide more

Americans with environmentally friendly jobs, and it is creating "potentially valuable outlets for

agricultural products."6 According to Bioheat, an organization that utilizes biofuel to heat private

citizens' homes, the production of biofuel has revitalized the economy. An economic study done

in 2011 states that approximately thirty-one thousand jobs were created in the United States due

to the production of biofuel, and the growth rate of jobs was projected to reach about sixty-five

thousand in 2014, and then climb to seventy-five thousand in the year 2015. This study also

states that an income of about $1.7 billion through the economy was expected in 2011, and that

the production of biofuel would result in "an estimated $345 million in federal tax revenue and

$283 million in state and local tax."7 The production of biofuel has helped transform the

economy, and it has the potential to dramatically revolutionize it even more.

5 ibid6 (The Massachusetts Bioheat Fuel Pilot Program, 2007.)7 (Bioheat Advantages, 2014.)

Casey 5

Another environmental advantage of the utilization of biofuel is that the combustion

process of biofuel will release minimal carbon-dioxide.8 According to the United States

Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gases have been released into the environment at

an extremely high rate since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and they pose a threat to the

world. The burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and most notably in this case, oil, are

the main activities humans participate in that have caused this increase in carbon dioxide

emissions.9 The utilization of another form of heating oil has the potential to cut back on the

amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. The last environmental advantage of

using biofuel is the fact that the burning of biofuel is considered to be much more "cleaner" than

the burning of other fuels. There have been numerous studies completed in labs that prove that

the burning of biofuel results in, "reduced nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, carbon dioxide, and

particulate emissions."10 Nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, and particulate emissions are all

considered to be pollutants that have the ability to cause respiratory problems.11 The use of

biofuel as an alternative for heating oil has the potential to transform both of the United States'

economic and environmental landscapes.

Competitive Analysis:

In term of competition, the main competitor in terms of using biofuel as a source of heat

would be regular heating oil companies; therefore, biofuel would be viewed as a substitute for

heating oil. The use of heating oil will not be completely stopped; instead, a fuel called B-20

will be used to heat the buildings on college campuses; this blend is composed of 20% biofuel

and the remaining 80% is heating oil. Therefore, it is best to say that 20% of heating oil is being

substituting in favor of biofuel. Recycled cooking oil can cost in price anywhere from $0.30 to

$0.40 per pound12, and it has a market rate of anywhere between $2.50 per gallon to $3.50 per

gallon13. The total production costs of recycled cooking oil can range anywhere from around $1

to $2 per gallon. Recycled cooking oil is readily available in the United States, with an

approximate amount of two billion gallons accessible in the year 2008, but only one million

8 (The Massachusetts Bioheat Fuel Pilot Program, 2007.)9 (Carbon Dioxide Emission, 2014.)10 (The Massachusetts Bioheat Fuel Pilot Program, 2007.)11 (What are the Six Common Air Pollutants?, 2012.)12 (Grabar, 2013.)13 (D'Urso, 2011.)

Casey 6

gallons were actually utilized for the production of biofuel.14 While the main component to

produce biofuel is cost-efficient and readily available, its main competitor, heating oil, is

definitely not.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the average price of retail heating oil during the

2013-2014 heating season (the months of October through March) was $3.96 per gallon; ranging

anywhere from $3.76 per gallon to $4.17 per gallon. Compared to the average cost of $3.00 per

gallon of recycled cooking oil, the price of retail heating oil during last year's season was $0.96

more expensive per gallon. The retail heating price per gallon has increased significantly over

the past five years, starting in the 2008-2009 season of $2.56 per gallon, and increasing each year

until last year's season, where there was a $0.01 drop from the 2012-2013 season's price of $3.97

per gallon.15 In Massachusetts, the wholesale price per gallon of heating oil during the 2013-

2014 season averaged out to be $3.27 per gallon, with prices ranging from $3.09 per gallon in

November to $3.50 per gallon in both February and March. The average wholesale cost of

heating oil per gallon in comparison to the average cost of recycled cooking oil was $0.27 more

expensive.16 These heating oil statistics from the Massachusetts Government website and the

U.S. Department of Energy show that the price per gallon of heating oil is incredibly expensive

in comparison to the price of recycled cooking oil per gallon.

Heating oil prices are subject to much fluctuation due to a variety of factors, including the

variations in demand due to the constant changing of seasons. For example, the price of heating

oil typically becomes much more expensive during the colder months because of the increase in

demand. Quick changes in temperature can cause the demand for heating oil to increase at such

a fast rate that wholesalers, refiners, and other parties directly involved in the heating oil

business cannot meet the demands of their customers, and the heating oil is used up quicker than

it can be refilled. The demand for heating oil is also heavily influenced by the weather in all

geographic locations across the world and each country's respective economy. Also, the supply

of heating oil is often dependent upon an assortment of components, most notably, the price of

crude oil, which is an element of heating oil, and the policies determined by countries that belong

to the Organization Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). 17 According to a study done 14 (Bevill, 2008.)15 (Heating Oil Price Survey for October 14, 2014, 2014.)16 (Weekly Massachusetts Heating Oil Wholesales/Resale Price, 2014.)17 (Factors Affecting Heating Oil Prices, 2014.)

Casey 7

through the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the demand for barrels of oil is expected to

jump from the 2007 rate of 85.8 million barrels per day to 106 million barrels per day in the year

2030, and the vast majority of this fuel will come from OPEC countries.18 Heating oil is affected

by a vast number of aspects, and the prices can heavily fluctuate due to any of these given

reasons, at any time. Using biofuel as a source of heat is a more economical and cost efficient

manner for higher education facilities to heat their buildings because of its low cost, and it is

readily available on school campuses.

Biofuel is considered a cleaner a form of energy than heating oil because it results in less

soot, and less soot in the heating equipment means that the equipment can operate more

smoothly while using less heating oil. The use of biofuel also results in lower the maintenance

costs for a furnace because the lubricity of biofuel is much greater than heating oil. The higher

lubricity of biofuel means that heating equipment can last longer because it decreases the natural

deterioration of the furnace and less money is spent to sustain and repair the furnace.19 B20, the

blend that will be used to heat Clark University's buildings, is slightly less efficient than heating

oil because it produces about 1% less BTUs (British Thermal Units) per a volume than heating

oil.20 A BTU is the standard measurement of heat, and it is amount of energy that is necessary to

either cool or heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Biofuel is also considered to be better for both the health of the environment and citizens

of the world because it results in less unburned hydrocarbons, and these unburned hydrocarbons

contribute to the formation of smog in the atmosphere. In 1998, the United States Department of

Energy worked with the United States Department of Agriculture to complete a study on the

lifecycle of biofuel. They discovered that biofuel is safer than other forms of oil because the

emissions of biofuel result in lower levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at seventy-five

percent less and eighty percent less levels of emission of nitrated polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons in comparison to the release of emissions from heating oil. These compounds have

been linked to the development of cancer.21 The use of biofuel in this venture will lessen the

negative impacts on both the health of humans and the environment that other forms of energy

have the potential to cause.18 (Devereaux, Charan and Lee, Henry, 2009.)19 (Winthrop Fuel Company, 2011.)20 (S, Guzman, 2014.)21 (Biodiesel Benefits, 2010.)

Casey 8

The number of companies and organizations that utilize different forms of biomass, such

as cooking oil or vegetable oil, for the production of biofuel to heat infrastructure or use it as a

form of diesel to power cars has grown expediently over the past few years, proven by the data

supplied by the Bioheat website. Even though there are a significant amount of businesses that

transform biomass into biofuel, they are not considered to be direct competitors in terms of this

initiative. It is believed that this proposal, utilizing recycled cooking oil from high education

facilities' cafeterias and transforming it into biofuel to heat campus buildings, is not a venture

that would cause direct competition between universities and biofuel production companies.

While both of these respective organizations would be looking for recycled cooking oil or

another form of a biomass to transform into biofuel, colleges and universities would already be

in possession of their recycled cooking oil, unlike businesses that would have to go out and

advertise their services. It is believed that other biofuel organizations and colleges would be

indirect competitors in the sense that their end goal is the same, but these respective

organizations have different objectives because they would not being going after the same

cliental.

In term of the threat of substitutes, waste vegetable oil is a definite possibility that can

also be used to power cars, and most importantly in this case, heat buildings. While biofuel is

chemically produced and based, waste vegetable oil is much easier to produce because it is

basically collected, and then the particles are taken out of the waste. It is also more affordable

and safer than biofuel because it does not involve chemicals. However, implementing waste

vegetable oil is a complex process, and in most cases, biofuel can be readily available to heat a

building or to be used as fuel for a car, while the usage of waste vegetable oil in a car means that

a diesel engine must be modified.22 Also, waste vegetable oil has the potential to clog oil filters23,

and it is surprisingly much more toxic than biofuel because it contains a large of amount of

active fats known as Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which if consumed by an individual,

can cause constant inflammation.24 While waste vegetable oil is a viable and legitimate source to

act as a form of heating oil and a form of fuel, the strong potential to clog oil filters due to build

up and its toxicity makes using waste vegetable oil a bigger risk than using biofuel.

22 (S, Guzman, 2014.)23 ibid24 (Gunnars, 2014)

Casey 9

Legal Regulations and Ramifications:

Environmental Legal Components:

There are several environmental legal components for the process of developing and

running a biofuel facility. One of the most important laws for biofuel companies that plan to

utilize their federal money to build a biofuel facility is the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA). This regulation calls for federal organizations to prepare detailed documents that show

how these organizations plan to run their biofuel plants in an environmentally friendly manner

and describe the effects these actions may have on the environment. These documents should

include an analysis of possible impacts humans and/or the environment may incur due to the

creation and development of a biofuel plant, and it should assess the impact on natural resources,

such as water, air, and wetlands. These documents also need to describe the possible impacts that

the development of biofuel plants may have on communities' systems of infrastructure, local

water systems, and what will happen to "used" biofuel products from these plants. The NEPA

also recognizes that biofuel products can have a negative effect on the environment due to the

emissions of "volatile organic compounds,"25 such as sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide that can be

considered hazardous to the air, and there are specific, detailed regulations that control the

emissions of these organic compounds dependent upon the geographic selection of the biofuel

plant. The NEPA also focuses on the idea of reducing the negative impacts the emissions of a

biofuel plant may have on the air quality in a community by considering these residents.26 This

regulation is a broad overview of the basic environmental standards any organization needs to

consider in the developmental process of a biofuel facility.

Another very important environmental law that relates directly to the development of a

biofuel facility is the Clean Air Act. This legal regulation states all types of production facilities,

including biofuel plants, have an obligation to society to "prevent releases [of critical pollutants

such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide] and to minimize the consequences

of accidental releases which do occur."27 There are two different types of standards that focus on

preventing pollutants from production facilities from damaging the quality of air that has the

25 (Environmental Laws Applicable to Construction and Operation of Biodiesel Production Facilities, 2008.)26 ibid27 ibid

Casey 10

potential to hurt both the environment and its citizens. The first standard is entitled the Primary

Standard, which determines the amount of pollutants that can be emitted by production facilities

in order to protect the general population, but to especially protect the segment of the population

that can be affected the worst by pollutants, such as senior citizens and very young children. The

standards are entitled the Secondary Standards which determines the limits of pollutants that can

be emitted by production facilities in order to preserve the public welfare, like infrastructure,

animals, visibility, and plant life. The EPA has developed ambient air quality principles for six

pollutants: particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, lead, and ozone.

These policies relate directly to the development and production of a biofuel facility because

during the production phase and the chemical and oil extraction phases, pollutants and organic

compounds that evaporate at a quick rate are released into the environment, and they can be

considered hazardous to the respective communities they are located in.28 These regulations

focus more heavily on major production facilities of biofuel, while this business plan focuses on

a much more narrower market, but these regulations are extremely important to keep in mind and

abide by during the development and creation of a biofuel plant.

Another major component of the Clean Air Act is the requirement that all production

facilities, including biofuel, acquire a construction permit before the construction of the plant

begins in order to simultaneously protect the environment and the general population. There are

two different types of construction permits. The first types are entitled the Major Construction

Permits that are designed to maintain safe air qualities in the respective communities where

biofuel plants operate, and there are specific criteria that would make a facility have to apply for

this type of permit. One of the most important and relative types of permits that falls under this

category is the Prevention of Significant Deterioration Permits that considers a facility to be a

major source of air pollutants if the facility will most likely emit more than one hundred tons per

year. The criteria of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration Permits is the emission of:

"carbon monoxide at hundred tons per year, nitrogen oxides at forty tones per year, sulfur

dioxide at forty tons per year, twenty-five tons of particulate matter per year, forty tones per year

of volatile organic compounds, and load at .60 tons per year ."29 The majority of biofuel

production facilities emit one hundred or more tons of these pollutants, which makes this permit

28 ibid29 ibid

Casey 11

relative to the construction of a biofuel plant. In order to monitor the amount of pollutants

emitted into the environment, technology that can monitor and analyze the quality of air will be

extremely valuable for large biofuel production facilities to ensure that their emissions of

pollutants are not at a dangerous level.30 In this business initiative, the biofuel plant will most

likely start off as being very small in terms of emitting pollutants because of its relative size, but

as the project grows and if the size of the college campus this venture is utilized on is much

bigger than Clark University's size, these permits are extremely important to keep in mind.

The second types of permits are called the Minor Construction Permits that are designed

to prevent the emission of the previously mentioned critical pollutants at unsafe levels that would

have the potential to hurt the environment, but more specifically the quality of air. These types of

permits focuses more heavily on smaller production facilities that most likely do not have the

potential to release dangerous pollutants at the levels that major production facilities do. In

many cases, a condition of these permits will actually limit the emission that can be released into

the air in order to protect the environment. These permits will also require the monitoring and

analyzing of air quality to ensure that these protocols are actually being followed. One of the

major protocols of the Minor Construction Permits is the New Source Performance Standards,

which has developed standards directly from technology that focuses on the regulation of the

quality of air. These standards focus on the previously mentioned statistical amount of emissions

that can be released into the atmosphere, the requirements of the equipment that will be utilized,

and the testing, monitoring, and reporting of the amount of pollutants emitted into the

atmosphere.31 These permits are much more relative to this initiative because they focus on

smaller biofuel production plants, such as a college that is in the beginning phases of utilizing

biofuel, that will not be a major player in the release of dangerous and harmful pollutants into the

atmosphere, but the release of these pollutants will need to be watched in order to maintain a safe

level of air quality.

Hazardous air pollutants are another important consideration for biofuel production

plants. The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants standardize the amount of

air pollutants that are emitted into the atmosphere through technology based principles known as

the maximum control technology (MACT).These principles are similar to that of the new source

30 ibid31 ibid

Casey 12

performance standards, in that they test, monitor, and report the emissions of hazardous wastes,

and they have specific emission limits. In terms of hazardous waste, the Resource Conservation

Act, section 3005 contains the provision that facilities, such as biofuel facilities, "that treat, store,

or dispose of hazardous waste"32 acquire an operating permit from either the Environmental

Protection Agency or the facility's respective state agency. Recycled cooking oil is considered a

hazardous waste33, and if a biofuel plant plans on using recycled cooking oil as the basis for its

fuel, it must receive one of these permits.

As previously mentioned, the production of biofuel can create hazardous wastes, which

are defined as solid wastes such as liquids or gases that have been abandoned and are considered

to be dangerous because they are toxic, flammable, corrosive, and/ or reactive. The production of

biofuel can result in hazardous wastes that can be extremely dangerous. For example, a filter is

often used in the production of biofuel, and after a given filter is used, it can contain moisture

from oil that has the potential to combust at any time. Biofuel facilities must ensure that

combustion does not occur by mixing the filter with an absorbent to prevent combustion.

Methanol is also used in the production of biofuel, and waste methanol has the potential to ignite

if not collected in a system that is enclosed off. Glycerin is a product of the production of

biofuel, and waste glycerin also has the potential to ignite and can be corrosive. It must be

further refined in order to prevent this from occurring. When a catalyst is used in the production

of biofuel, the waste of it has the potential to be corrosive, but it can be neutralized to make it not

considered a hazardous waste. Wastewater has the potential to be hazardous in the production of

biofuel dependent upon the ph level from the catalyst. It can also be flammable if there are

significant levels of methanol in it. The biggest threats of hazardous waste in a biofuel facility

are waste methanol and waste glycerin. In most cases, there are no specific requirements for

biofuel facilities that produce hazardous wastes, unless the facilities plan on keeping, treating, or

getting rid of hazardous wastes.34 In this business plan for the use of biofuel as a source of

heating in college buildings, the hazardous wastes will not be kept or treated, but another

organization, the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, will be responsible for the disposal of

hazardous wastes.

32 ibid33 ibid34 ibid

Casey 13

Any facility that generates hazardous wastes must inform the Environmental Protection

Agency and acquire an identification number if the facility produces more than 100 kilograms in

any month.35 Due to the fact that this business proposal is a relatively small endeavor, this issue

may not be faced within the first few years of getting this project off the ground. This business

proposal would be considered a conditional exempt small quantity generator because it would

most likely be producing less than 100 kilograms of hazardous waste. This would require the

main players of this initiative to "make a hazardous waste determination for each waste stream at

the point of generation."36 There would also be requirements to make sure that the waste is

disposed of in a proper manner. There are multiple ways in which hazardous wastes can be

disposed of, which includes underground storage tanks or disposal on land. It is believed that this

business plan would most likely lean towards the disposal of hazardous wastes on land because it

makes more sense from an economic standpoint than buying a tank. The EPA also states that the

specific managerial requirements of what to do with the disposal of hazardous wastes vary

significantly dependent upon how much hazardous waste is produced in a certain month. 37

The Clean Water Act is an important legal regulation for biofuel plants because of these

types of plants' heavy reliance on using water during the production process. Water is utilized

during the production of biofuel for cooling and to wash the products to eliminate any impurities

that may be present. When water is used for these types of activities, it creates wastewater

because it comes in contact with glycerin, methanol, different variations of oil, and lastly, the

finally product, biofuel. This act "establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of

pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface

waters."38 One of the main components of the Clean Water Act is the Wastewater Discharge

Permits that determines the specific type of permit needed for the disposal of wastewater. There

are three different ways a biofuel plant could choose to dispose of their waste. The first way to

dispose of wastewater is by putting it into a body of water, which requires a permit from the

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES). The second way to get rid of waste

discharge is release it to a "municipal wastewater treatment system,"39 if applicable to the region

35 ibid36 ibid37 ibid38 (EPA, 2014.)39 (Environmental Laws Applicable to Construction and Operation of Biodiesel Production Facilities, 2008.)

Casey 14

the plant is located in. The last form of wastewater discharge is land application, which may or

may not require a permit from NPDES dependent upon the geographic location of the facility.40

Another valuable environmental legal implication that relates to the production of biofuel

is the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure that is designed to stop oil from being

discharged into passable waters and the shorelines that adjoin land to water. This measure has

several standards that make these regulations applicable to biofuel production. The first

regulation of these policies that has to be obeyed is if biofuel is being produced, but will not be

utilized for any form of transportation. This regulation is the most prevalent for this business idea

because the goal is to use the biofuel as a source of heat, not fuel, but that option can further be

developed down the line once this initiative has been in place for awhile. The second regulation's

focus is on how much oil will either be stored above ground or buried in the ground in a

container. If the oil is stored above the ground at a capacity of more than 1,320 gallons, or if the

oil is stored below the ground at a capacity greater than 42,000 gallons, it falls into this category.

The third regulation is if it logically possible that oil may be discharged into passable waters or

the adjoining shorelines. This measure contains detailed requirements about the potential for oil

spills, and what specific steps an organization should take if this does occur, in order to clean it

up. The measure goes into precise details dependent upon the geographic location of the plant

and the relative geographic location of any bodies of water that is near the location of the biofuel

plant. This regulation reasonably expects that all biofuel and other production facilities will try

their best to prevent any oil spills, and if they occur, they will be held accountable for it and will

determine the best manner to solve the oil spill problem.41

If a biofuel plant wants to sell their fuel, they must register with the Fuel and Fuel

Additive Registration System beforehand. The plant will be given a renewable identification

number that will represent the fuel that is being produced and sold.42 This business plan does not

necessarily account for schools selling their biofuel, but this is another potential step a school

could take in the future. In order to transfer biofuel, the plant must have a document that lists the

addresses of where the biofuel is coming from and where it is headed and the date of transfer. It

also must have the volume amount that is transferred, the date of transport, and the assigned

40 ibid41 ibid42 ibid

Casey 15

renewable identification numbers.43 Once again, these protocols are a bit out of this particular

business plan's initial scope, but they serve as a useful reference for future endeavors.

Biofuel Laws:

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is an international organization

that creates and publicizes optional standards that have been agreed upon by a majority

representative that covers the technical standards for vastly different types of services, products

systems, and materials. ASTM D6751 is the name given to a group of tests to be performed on

biofuel that is to be utilized on a mass scale.44 The Alternative Fuels Data Center states that any

biofuel blends between 6% and 20% must meet these requirements45, meaning that they are not

optional for this initiative of using B-20. There are numerous specifications that encompass

these tests, but the focus will be primarily on the most important and relevant ones to this

initiative.

One of the most important tests for biofuel is known as method DM6584, also known as

the Free and Total Glycerin Test. If glycerin is not properly separated from the biofuel, it has the

potential to either separate or to come together and form as a solid, which can potentially clog

the pipes in a furnace. The amount of free glycerin determined by the ASTM that can cause these

issues to occur is a mass of over 0.020%. It is vital that biofuel producers take this figure and test

into consideration during the creation process to ensure that the fuel does not clog the pipes and

prevent the respective building from being heated. Another important test to consider, is one that

if not done properly can also result in the clogging of pipes, is the Potassium and Sodium by

Spectrum Analysis Test, also known as method EN14538. The potassium and sodium comes

mainly from the soap that is created during the production process that is not eradicated in the

correct manner.46

An additional test to consider during the production of biofuel is the Cloud and Pour

Point Test, known as method D2500. The cloud point is the lowest temperature that crystals will

start to develop in the fuel. The pour point is described as the temperature when the biofuel stops

flowing because of the fact that the temperature is so cold that the fuel freezes. There is no 43 ibid44 (Why ASTM is important and why the BioPro™ was designed around it, 2014.)45 (Biodisel Blends, 2013.)46( Why ASTM is important and why the BioPro™ was designed around it, 2014.)

Casey 16

specific temperature stated in these rules because the ASTM claims that the producers of biofuel

should already be aware of the temperature that causes the freezing of the fuel. There is a

general rule that states that biofuel will eventually freeze by thirty degrees Fahrenheit colder than

the temperature of the feedstock it was created from, so this fact should act as a guideline for

biofuel producers to abide by.47

Viscosity is a measurement that determines the resistance of any type of liquid to move

freely and there is a test entitled the Viscosity Test, known as method D445. The viscosity of

biofuel must be within a certain range between 1.9-6.0 cst, to guarantee that the biofuel will be

able to flow freely through the pipes. If the viscosity of the biofuel is greater than this range, it

can cause the fuel to start burning. The acidity of the biofuel is another important factor to take

into consideration, and the test that looks at this for biofuel is called the Total Acid Number Test

(TAN), known as method D664. This test allows biofuel producers to figure out how acidic a

portion of the biofuel is. The set limit for acidity in biofuel is 0.5 milligrams of potassium

hydroxide per gram. Biofuel can be over the limit of acidity because it was either simply left out

too long, or free fatty acids were created during the production process. Too acidic biofuel has

the potential to damage the fuel lines of a furnace. The Flashpoint Test, known as method D93, is

the lowest temperature in which the vapor of the biofuel can briefly catch on fire in the air. The

"flashpoint of the fuel relates directly to the ignitability of the fuel."48 A low flashpoint has the

ability to make the biofuel ignite to early, release too many emissions into the atmosphere, and

clog up oil pipes.49

These are some of the key specifications that are optional for biofuel producers to

consider when producing their fuel, but are not optional for this particular venture. This initiative

will definitely be taking these tests into serious consideration to ensure that the biofuel is of the

best quality and to mitigate the potential to clog the pipes of heating furnaces. These tests will be

vital to ensure the safety and working ability of the biofuel.

In terms of registration, a producer located in the United States must register with the

Environmental Protection Agency under the name of a fuel manufacturer if the biofuel will be

sold, especially on a large scale basis. One of the most important requirements of this registration

47 ibid48 ibid49 ibid

Casey 17

is that an outside party (of both the producers and the EPA) tests the biofuel to ensure that there

are no major negative health effects resulting from this fuel. This registration process also

necessitates the need for the producers of biofuel to give the EPA a lab analysis to ensure that the

biofuel follows the ASTM D6751 standards. If a registration is not completed with the EPA, no

organization will legally be allowed to sell their biofuel.50 Although this venture does not call for

the selling of biofuel, it is a viable and profit generating venture that universities and colleges

could seriously consider in addition to heating their buildings. There are other, optional boards to

register with, whether that be for commercial purposes, as an organization, or as an individual.

For example, biofuel businesses and individuals can join the National Biodiesel Board in order to

network with one another and share information.51 For the private use of biofuel on college

campuses, there are no formal requirements to register with any organizations or join any boards

because of the fact that their biofuel will not be sold anywhere, and the schools are already in

possession of it.

According to the director of the physical plant department at Clark University, the

regulations for biofuel are essentially the same as the regulations of regular diesel.52 When

biofuel is transported in a vehicle, there must be a warning sign regulated by the Federal

Department of Transportation placed on the vehicle. If the biofuel is pure biofuel, no warning

sign is necessary. If the flashpoint of the biofuel is less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the biofuel

is considered flammable, and a "hazard class three flammable place card"53 must be on the

vehicle transporting the biofuel. If the biofuel has a flashpoint between 140 degrees Fahrenheit

and two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, than the biofuel is deemed as a hazardous class three

combustible, and a combustible sticker on the transporting vehicle is necessary.54 When biofuel

is transported on a vehicle, there should be less than five hundred gallons being transported at a

time, and there must be two fire extinguishers that are approved by any autonomous testing

laboratory in the United States. 55 In terms of a permit for the transportation of biofuel, a permit

called the Common Carrier Permit is required if an organization is hiring someone to collect the

oil; however, if a member of the biofuel organization is transporting the oil, no permit is

50 (How to Join, 2014.)51 ibid52 (M, Leahy, 2014.)53 (Biodiesel Handling and Use, 2009.)54 ibid55 (Transport of Diesel, 2014.)

Casey 18

required.56 In this biofuel initiative, one of the most valuable team members, Scott, who

represents the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, will be transporting the biofuel, so this permit will

be irrelevant because he is a member of the team.

Fire regulations dependent upon the region the biofuel is being produced in establish the

regulations in terms of signage on the storing of biofuel, but usually, all forms of biofuel,

including pure biofuel, must have a sticker from the National Fire Protection Association to state

whether or not the biofuel is flammable or combustible. In terms of fire safety considerations,

biofuel can be put out with water, carbon dioxide, halon, which is a compressed gas that can stop

fires that stem from chemicals, or a chemical foam fire extinguisher. It is also important to keep

in mind that biofuel will burn if it catches on fire, so it must be kept away from extreme heat and

any substance that has the ability to easily catch on fire.57 This is all of the available information

on biofuel regulations and standards.

In terms of certifications, there are no requirements that state that if an individual wants

to produce biofuel; he or she must have a piece of paper stating that they are eligible to produce

biofuel. In fact, anyone can make biofuel, although if an individual plans on selling the biofuel,

that is a whole another issue. As previously mentioned, the biofuel industry is a growing

industry, and some colleges and universities offer classes that focus on the production of biofuel,

and the end result of taking these classes is a certificate, but to reiterate, this is not a requirement

to produce biofuel . For example, the Extension School of San Diego University offers programs

for students to learn about the biofuel industry in terms of research, production, and how to

manage a biofuel organization58. Southeastern Illinois College also offers biofuel programs that

give students the opportunity to learn about the biofuel industry and the benefits of it mainly

from an environmental standpoint.59 These programs show the value of the biofuel industry and

how important it will be to both the economy and the environment.

There is constant debate in the scientific community across the world as to what

particular type of certifications should be put in place and who will test and monitor the biofuel

to ensure that the standards are being met. One of the biggest challenges facing the development

56 (Biodiesel Facility Permits Fact Sheet, 2014.)57 (Biodiesel Handling and Use, 2009.)58 (Biofuels Certificate Programs, 2014.)59 (Biofuels Certificates, 2014.)

Casey 19

of the certification of biofuel is the fact that the production of biofuel encompasses three

different sectors: the environmental sector, the agricultural sector, and energy sector, and these

sectors already have different regulations and certifications to take into account. Another issue

lies in the difficulty of determining the purpose of certifying biofuel; should biofuel be certified

in order to standardize biofuel products, or should certification be necessary in order to better

convey information to consumers, or should it be done in order to grow the biofuel industry?

Another question that has arisen is to whether or not to make these certifications optional or

required; as previously mentioned, there are standards for the production of biofuel that are, in

some cases, voluntary, so it may be difficult to develop certifications, when some standards are

still optional.60 These questions, combined with the fact that biofuel encompasses three different

sectors, makes it challenging for lawmakers to develop a certification that all biofuel players

would need to abide by. As previously mentioned in the market analysis section, the biofuel

industry is a growing industry that has the potential to significantly change the economy and the

environment for the better, but if this industry is to continue to grow at such a rapid pace and

biofuel becomes commonly used by both private and public parties, these certification questions

must be sorted out in order for the biofuel industry to continue to progress upwards.

In Massachusetts on July 28, 2008, Governor Deval Patrick signed the Clean Biofuels

Act in order to promote the expansion of the biofuel industry in Massachusetts as a member of

the "clean energy technology sector."61 This act requires that there is a percentage of biofuel in

diesel fuel and in home heating oil that is sold to consumers; Massachusetts was the first state in

the United States to require biofuel in home heating oil. In 2010 it was required that in diesel fuel

and home heating oil that are sold for consumption contained 2% biofuel, and then in 2013, the

requirement was bumped up to 5%. Also, all of the biofuel produced must lower the percentage

of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during the entire lifecycle by 50%.62

Massachusetts is the first state to prove a serious interest in utilizing biofuel in order to protect

the environment, and it makes sense for this initiative of colleges and universities using biofuel

to heat their buildings to occur in Massachusetts because of this state's stance on biofuel.

Operational Components:

60 (Devereaux, Charan and Lee, Henry, 2009.)61 (Clean Energy Biofuels Act, 2014.)62 ibid

Casey 20

Clark University, located in Worcester, Massachusetts will be the first school in the

spectrum of higher education facilities to utilize cooking oil as biofuel to heat on campus

buildings. This school was selected because of its relatively small student population of over

three thousand students, which makes this initiative more feasible to pursue in the beginning

stages, as opposed as schools with larger populations, such as the University of Massachusetts-

Amherst. This venture will be completed in small doses; the main focus will be on heating non-

residential building first with biofuel to remove any potential kinks and to not inconvenience

students during the colder months of the year if any problems arise. The eventual goal will be to

heat all buildings with biofuel, but that will take time to initiate. The recycled cooking oil will

be stored in a tank outside of the main dining hall on the loading dock. When this tank is filled to

the top, it will be taken to an offsite facility to be transformed into biofuel. This offsite facility is

called the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, and it is located about three fourths of a mile off of

Clark's campus. The close proximity of the cooperative to the school campus is greatly

beneficial because it will keep the costs of travel back and forth from Clark to the Cooperative at

an affordable rate.

Both of these facilities require equipment, tools, and raw materials to produce the biofuel.

One of the most important pieces of this venture is the recycled cooking oil, which Clark will

store in its holding tank. A representative from the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative will come and

"suck up" the recycled cooking oil from the tank with a pump and transport it in a truck to their

location. At the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, the recycled cooking oil will be transformed

from its original state to biofuel. As previously mentioned, the scientific process is called

transesterification, and the raw materials in this process include: recycled cooking oil, methanol,

and a catalyst, like sodium hydroxide. The cost of the raw materials is expected to be about $1.10

per gallon; this number was determined by an estimate from a member of the Worcester Biofuel

Cooperative.63 This number of $1.10 is then multiplied by thirty four gallons of biofuel that is

expected to be produced each month during the first year of existence to determine the monthly

raw materials cost at $37 per month and $449 for the first year of operation. The biofuel

processor, which is where the transformation will occur, costs approximately $6,000. This

number was determined by looking at the estimated cost that Williams College paid for their

63 (S, Guzman, 2013.)

Casey 21

biofuel processor, because they have a similar undergraduate population to Clark University, and

then scaling their price of $4,500 upwards because their estimation had been made in 2010. 64

As previously mentioned, the used cooking oil will be stored in a two hundred and fifty

gallon tank near the loading outside the cafeteria. This tank is projected to cost about $1,240,

based on the prices from a website called Northern Tool + Equipment that sells the necessary

tools and equipment to make biofuel. Another tank may need to be purchased at some point to

increase the amount of buildings being heated on campus. A biofuel pump will also be required

to in order to transfer the cooking oil to the biofuel facility, and this pump is projected to cost

about $700, also based off the website Northern Tool + Equipment. In order to produce the

biofuel, safety gear will also be required, such as protective gloves, aprons, goggles, and boots.65

There are currently three people who work in the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, and the cost to

purchase of this safety equipment for three people is approximated to be around one hundred

dollars; this number was calculated based off of the prices of safety equipment at Home Depot.

A fuel pre- heater will also be necessary in order to prevent the biofuel from gelling. This gelling

can occur because of either lower temperatures or, most notably in the case of this biofuel

venture, be heavily saturated, which is extremely common in cooking oil.66 This fuel pre- heater

is estimated to cost about $500. A fuel filter will also be needed in order to filter and displace

water from the biofuel; according to Northern Tool + Equipment, this is expected to cost about

$65. The last necessity to produce biofuel will be biocides, which will conserve the life of the

biofuel because it will prevent microorganisms from growing in the biofuel.67 The cost of

biocides is estimated to be about $266 for twelve sixteen ounce bottles from a website called

Utah Biodiesel.68 These are all of the basic necessities to produce biofuel for this initiative.

The biofuel blend that will be used to heat Clark's buildings will be B-20. Biofuel blends

describe the percentage of the fuel that is composed of biofuel, and the percentage that is

composed of heatng oil. In Clark's case, 20% of the fuel will be composed of biofuel, while the

remaining 80% will be composed of heating oil. B-20 is considered to be the best form of fuel

because its emissions are low in toxicity, it does not clog pipes easily, and it burns in an

64 (Kalb, R, 2010.)65 (Biodiesel Buyer's Guide, 2014.)66 ibid67 ibid68 (Biodiesel Biocide Treatment, 2013.)

Casey 22

environmentally friendly manner.69 Pure biofuel cannot be used to heat buildings because of the

fact that the heating furnaces at Clark University are extremely old, and if pure biofuel was

placed into these machines, it would cause all the material that is built up against the walls of the

pipes to loosen up and clog up the pipes, which would result in the buildings not being heated

properly. Although heating oil is still being used in some capacity, 20% less is being used in

favor of an environmental and economical source of fuel.

The managerial structure of this process will start small and expand outwards and

welcome more players as the project gets off the ground and grows. One of the main managerial

components of this initiative will be a project manager, an unpaid student who is acting as an

intern, who is in charge of coordinating activities between the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative

and the heating department at Clark. The project manager will act as a liaison between these two

parties and will inform the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative when the holding tank is filled with

used cooking oil and schedule a pick-up. The project manager will also communicate with the

people who work in the heating department at Clark to determine when heating oil needs to be

delivered and what the volume is. This information will be relayed over to the Worcester Biofuel

Cooperative, who will make the biofuel and deliver it to the locations being heated by it. There

are currently three engineers at the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative will also play an important

role in this process; as they will be the ones responsible for collecting, producing, and delivering

the biofuel. There is a team of people, who work in the heating department at Clark, but one

person will play a major in the beginning stages. This person will play an integral role in sharing

the information about the contents of the heating oil available. Lastly, a project supervisor to

ensure the entire process is occurring smoothly is needed to handle any concerns and give out

directions as to what needs to be done. He or she will also be responsible for ensuring that all

legal regulations are met, along with being responsible for the financial components of this

venture. As this project moves forwards, and more buildings start being heated by biofuel, more

players will be added to the imitative. More project managers may come on board and may be

responsible for a specific component of the venture, such as certain buildings on campus or

connecting with specific people. As the project grows and matures, the necessity to bring more

people on board may grow as well.

69 (Red Birch Energy, 2014.)

Casey 23

Promotion:

The promotional activities of this initiative to encourage other colleges and universities to

use recycled cooking oil as a form of heating oil will encompass a wide variety of strategies. The

transformation of recycled cooking oil into a renewable source of energy has grown significantly

in popularity and in usage in the past decade. There are numerous companies and higher

education facilities across the United States that capitalize on the ability to turn used cooking oil

into a renewable source of energy, but the vast majority of research completed had led me to

discover that most recycled cooking oil that is transformed in biofuel is used as a source of gas to

power automobiles, not utilized as a means of heating buildings. There are many schools across

the country such as Williams College and Bridgewater State University that have programs that

utilize their used cooking oil as a form of petroleum diesel. The initial promotional activities will

be focusing on smaller schools, preferably in the New England region, to look at the

environmental and financial benefits that using their recycled cooking oil can bring as a means of

heating.

In order to network with other schools to promote this venture, a blog will be developed

to document the experiences and showcase the research completed on this topic. It will also have

contact information present on the blog and a brief description of the presentation given to

schools about implementing biofuel as a source of heat. It is believed that this manner of

presenting material will allow for information to flow freely and to encourage other schools to

seriously consider this venture. Almost all of the information found for this venture occurred

through the internet because of the limited availability of this information elsewhere. As

previously mentioned, there are a growing number of schools that have used biofuel in some

capacity, and the biofuel industry as a whole is growing significantly. The goal of this blog will

not only be to present information about the research conducted and the findings, but to serve as

a platform for schools who are interested in renewable energy and are conducting research on the

usage of biofuel.

Another valuable promotional activity will be to provide potential participants with the

opportunity to come to Clark and take a tour of this school's facilities, and then a tour of the

Worcester Biofuel Cooperative, to witness firsthand the process of how the recycled cooking oil

is transformed into biofuel. It is thought that this experience will make this initiative seem much

Casey 24

more realistic when viewed first hand. The potential participants will be able to see how the used

cooking oil is stored, what buildings are currently being heat with biofuel, and they will get the

opportunity to see the production of biofuel at the Worcester Biofuel Cooperative. There will

also be an open forum where participants will be able to ask questions and hear from the people

working on this project. The goal of this promotional activity is to provide potential participants

with a visual experience to develop a better understanding of the initiative.

One of the most effective methods to encourage the participation of higher education

facilities in this venture will be the presentation of the available financial information, such a

cost-benefits analysis and a return on investment scenario. Providing potential participants in this

initiative with financial information from an institution that is already involved in this venture

will allow schools to see the possible economic gains that can be made by using a renewable

source of energy. Schools will be able to see the potential capital that can be reinvested into other

departments of the school through money saved on heating expenses. There will also be an

explanation as to how the biofuel industry is a rapidly growing field that is providing the United

States with more jobs, and it is reducing the dependence on foreign countries for the supply of

heating oil. It will also be extremely beneficial for schools to have a firsthand account of a

school that has already implemented this idea. The financial information by far will be the most

valuable form of promotion because it will provide concrete evidence that this initiative is not

only feasible, but economically beneficial for higher education facilities.

Another effective method to promote the use of biofuel as a renewable source of heat will

be the presentation of environmental information and the environmental benefits that can occur

due to the implementation of biofuel as a source of heat. Society in general has become much

more environmentally aware in the past few decades, and colleges and universities especially

contribute to the growing knowledge about the environment. Two of the most important facts to

explain to potential colleges and universities to encourage participation in this venture will be the

reduction in greenhouses gases and the reduced amount of carbon- dioxide in the atmosphere. As

previously mentioned, greenhouses gases can be extremely harmful to the atmosphere, and the

emission of carbon-dioxide can cause serious health concerns among humans. By bringing up

these points specifically in the presentation will make a lasting impression on the audience

because we as a society only have one planet and one opportunity to take care of it. Higher

Casey 25

education facilities are often viewed as innovative institutions that promote new ways of

thinking, and it is thought that this initiative is an innovative means of acting in an

environmentally sustainable manner.

Social media will also be an effective method of promoting this business venture.

There will be a dedicated Facebook page to describe in great detail the process of making

biofuel, and it will include pictures of the process, as well as contact information. A Twitter page

will promote the benefits of utilizing biofuel from both an environmental and financial

standpoint in short, concise sentences to draw in interest about this initiative, along with contact

information displayed at the top of the page. An instragram page will also be utilized to provide a

visual sense of what is being done and to show the steps involved in taking recycled cooking oil

and transforming it into renewable energy. These social media accounts will primarily serve as a

method of promoting this venture to students and faculty at other colleges and universities who

are interested in developing a sustainable initiative on campus. The objective is to get more

people involved in higher education to think about ways to use their on campus resources in a

renewable manner.

Financial Analysis/ Justification:

It is assumed that the cost of heating oil is $3.60 per gallon, and that the cost of biofuel is

$1.80 per gallon, which is a savings of $1.80 per gallon. After consuming sixty nine gallons of

biofuel per month at 138 Woodland, a remaining balance of 9,084 in gallons would allow Clark

to heat other buildings on campus. Under current market condition (the difference between the

biofuel and the heating oil per gallon) savings of $1.80 extended by the gallons remaining would

result in a benefit of $16,351 per month (see cost benefits analysis). This would extend to an

annual savings of $196,962 in year one. This financial benefit assumes a breakeven amount of

total gallons produced of 9,153 in year one. It is pretty unrealistic to assume that a school of

about 3,000 students could produce 9,153 gallons of recycled cooking oil per month, especially

considering the fact that Clark University goes through about two hundred and fifty gallons of

used cooking oil every two months. However, one two hundred and fifty gallon tank filled with

recycled cooking can produce about two hundred and forty to two hundred and forty five gallons

Casey 26

worth of biofuel, which can be used for other buildings, and the biofuel can still be processed

even when it is not the heating season. See Cost- Benefit Analysis for further explanation.

As previously mentioned, 138 Woodland consumes about three hundred and forty three

gallons of heating oil per month at a cost of $3.60 per gallon; however, by using the B-20 blend,

this building is now consuming twenty percent less heating oil. The building now consumes two

hundred and seventy five gallons of heating oil per month and sixty nine gallons of biofuel per

month. By using twenty percent less heating oil, this building is able to save $245 a month on

heating oil costs. This adds up to a yearly savings of $1,469. See Cost- Benefit Analysis for

further explanation.

Conclusion:

This business model allows potential participants to develop an understanding that the

use of recycled cooking oil as form of biofuel to heat the buildings of colleges and universities is

an excellent use of campus resources that are readily available. It allows colleges and universities

to not only be economically efficient in terms of saving twenty percent of heating oil costs, but it

also allows them the opportunity to be environmentally efficient by producing less emissions that

can contribute to Global Warming. The use of biofuel also lessens the dependence of the United

States upon foreign countries for heating oil, and the growing biofuel industry is contributing to

the improvement of the American economy by creating more environmentally friendly jobs.

Biofuel is a financially beneficial and environmental efficient manner of utilizing resources

already available.

There are other potential opportunities that colleges and universities could look into in

terms of transforming their recycled cooking oil into biofuel. For example, they could sell a

portion of their biofuel to corporations and private consumers for their consumption, and

colleges and universities could also look into utilizing their biofuel to fuel their own vehicles,

such as campus police vehicles and maintenance vehicles. The transesterifcation process

produces glycerin in addition to biofuel, and schools could study the potential to use their

glycerin to produce soap to sell to their students and faculty. There are vast opportunities that

colleges and universities could look into in terms of what to do with their used cooking oil that

Casey 27

can benefit these higher education facilities both in the short run and in the long run. By

utilizing recycled cooking oil as a form of biofuel to heat colleges and universities, these schools

are recycling their resources and reinvesting these resources directly back into their schools and

reaping the benefits first hand. It is hoped that other higher education facilities will grasp the

benefits of using their recycled cooking oil as a source of biofuel and heat their campus buildings

with it and look into the other opportunities of utilizing biofuel. There is only one planet earth,

and it is the responsibility for all the citizens of the world to take care of it for us and for future

generations.

Appendix:

SWOT Analysis: Implementing the use of Biofuel as a Source of Heat in Higher

Education Facilities

Strengths

o Recycled cooking oil is readily

available and the price remains stable

throughout the year

o Save 20% of heating oil costs

reinvest money saved back into schools

o Reduces emissions of some of the

chemical compounds that contribute to

global warming

o Lessens dependence upon foreign

countries for fossil fuels

o Cleaner form of energy

Weaknesses

o Slightly less energy efficient than

heating oil

o Still heavily dependent upon heating

oil to implement business venture

o Schools would have to purchase

equipment and tools to develop this

venture

Opportunities Threats

Casey 28

o Use biofuel to fuel schools' police and

maintenance vehicles

o Use the byproduct of biofuel, glycerin,

to produce soap to sell to students and

facility

o Sell biofuel to private organizations and

consumers for own consumption

o Develop a similar venture for

restaurants, hotels, and other places

where recycled cooking oil is used with

high frequency

o Waste vegetable oil could also be

implemented in schools as a renewable

source of energy

o Biofuel is a relatively new source of

renewable energy that may spark

hesitation in some schools to

implement this venture

Casey 29

1 The Production Process of Biofuel

70 (Bioheat Advantages, 2014.)

Casey 30

2 The Expected Impact of Biofuel's Influence on Employment; Starting in 2011

Table 1 the Requirements for B-2072

Requirements for Biodiesel B6-B20 ASTM D7467

71 ibid72 (ASTM Biodiesel Specifications, 2013.)

Casey 31

Property Test Method Limits Units

Acid number D664 0.3 max mg KOH/g

Viscosity at 40°C D445 1.9-4.1a mm2/s

Flash point D93 52b °C

Cloud point D2500 Report to customer

°C

Distillation temperature, 90% evaporated D86 343 °C

Ramsbottom carbon residue on 10% bottoms

D524 0.35 max % mass

Sulfur D5453 0.0015 max (S15)0.05 max (S500)

% mass

Cetane number D613 40 minc -

Ash content D482 0.01 % mass

Water and sediment D2709 0.050 max % mass

Copper corrosion 3 h at 50°C D130 No. 3 -

Biodiesel content D7371 6-20 % (V/V)

Oxidation stability EN15751 6 min Hours

Lubricity at 60°C D6079 520 maxd micron

One of the following must be met:

(1) Cetane index D976 40 min -

Casey 32

(2) Aromaticity D1319 35 max -

B6 to B20This table shows requirements for 6% biodiesel (B6) to 20% biodiesel (B20) as listed in ASTM D7467.

The full standard can be purchased from ASTM International.

Casey 33

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Casey 34

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