Innovation at McDaniel: What's Cookin' in Your Fuel Tank

Believe it or not, that cooking oil you use to deep fry your chicken could someday be powering your vehicle's engine.

At least that’s the hope of McDaniel College professor Dr. Brian Wladkowski. For more than a year, Wladkowski, who has been teaching chemistry for 16 years, has been working on a plan to make cooking oil a cost effective substitute for gasoline.

It all started when his initial interest was piqued while eating lunch in the McDaniel College cafeteria last fall.                        

 “I remember sitting in the café one day and wondering what do they do with all the oil they use here,” he explained. “I was thinking there are 1,600 kids that eat here most everyday, and what are they doing with all the oil that’s left over.”

After inquiring with the cafeteria staff, the answer he received wasn't what he was hoping to hear.

“Sodexo--the company who manages the cafeteria, hires the people, and buys the food--gives the used cooking oil to a company that ships it out of the country,” Wladkowski said.

Knowing he needed oil, Wladkowski decided to ask Sodexo if they would consider giving the used cooking oil to him. It was a critical component as he was preparing to take his sabbatical in the spring and create his process for converting cooking oil into fuel.

Wladkowski asked, but the company didn’t comply. Wladowski then decided to plead his case to some McDaniel folks who in turn helped send out letters to local restaurants to ask for used cooking oil donations.

“Fortunately for us, Harry’s [Main Street] said they would give us their leftover cooking oil,” he said.

With a source of cooking oil identified, Wladkowoski was able to start his scientific process of taking smelly, used cooking oil and changing it into a renewable fuel source.

“Vegetable oil is similar to crude oil--a more complex version, not the same, but similar,” he explained. “Scientists realized some 20 to 25 years ago when modified slightly, it could be used to fuel engines.”

Wladkowski said after conducting a chemical process that involves breaking down certain molecules, a fuel similar to diesel is created.

“Right now, we have all the equipment to transform it into bio-diesel,” he said. “What we use looks like an old time alcohol stihl. We have large containers of fluid that circulate and you siphon off the usable liquid.” 

Wladkowski won’t be alone in working on the cooking oil conversion project. He has two McDaniel seniors who will be helping him take the data from his sabbatical and using it to begin the process: Louis Lachman is an environmental science major and Ken Coffey is a chemistry major.

“McDaniel found a garage in one of the houses owned by the college, so we will be setting up in a private location” said Wladkowski. “The good thing about this process is there are no toxic materials. It won’t cause any environmental problems; very environmentally friendly.”

And what about that cost of this diesel derivative made from used cooking oil?

Wladkowski said assuming the oil is free; the costs of the chemicals needed to make the conversion would be estimated between $1 and $2 per gallon.

“What I envision down the road will be diesel processors located all around the country,” Wladkowski mused. “I think that ultimately we will be able to use this by-product to cut down on our regular fuel costs.”