Making Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil
by S. Bhuvaneshwari (The Hindu) The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy and Development (MGIRED) in Bengaluru has started manufacturing biodiesel from used cooking oil sourced from a five-star hotel.
In May, MGIRED sent a proposal to Taj Vivanta, on M.G. Road, requesting their waste cooking oil, which could be converted into raw material for biodiesel. The fuel is produced using a technique called trans esterification (conversion of carboxylic acids to esters using acid and alcohols) at an MGIRED facility in Bengaluru. The first batch of biodiesel was given to the hotel on June 5.
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Mohandas, Executive Director, MGIRED, said, “At present, Taj Vivanta has offered us 200 litres of waste cooking oil each month. In another three months, we plan to produce 1,000 litres of biodiesel from used cooking oil each month.”
The biodiesel will also be sent to the Indian Institute of Science, Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra in Bengaluru, and other government departments. READ MORE