Newswise — They are tiny seeds containing golden opportunities. That's how Brian He (pronounced Huh), University of Idaho researcher, describes his work with rapeseed and mustard seed that are used in local biodiesel production.
He explores spin-off uses of the production waste, dovetailing with the fundamental research of Charles Peterson, biological and agricultural engineering professor who began biofuels testing in 1979. From using a bottle of purchased sunflower oil as a fuel additive in a tractor, the research has proven the viability of large-scale biodiesel development for use in popular transportation vehicles, farm machines and transit systems.
Prof. He says his research and economic philosophy is that, "if you increase the value of biodiesel by-products, you reduce the cost of biodiesel itself."
In the production of biodiesel, vegetable oil is mixed at high speed with alcohol, resulting in two layers of fluid -- the top one is usable biodiesel, the lower is glycerol. This impure glycerol has little economic value and is too costly to purify into a useable product. It's too condensed to dispose of directly, so one current use is mixing it with organic waste for composting.
Prof. He explores converting the glycerol back into alcohol for more biodiesel production. Chemically it's possible now, but at a high cost. He tests less-costly fermentation processes.
As well, the residual meal left after pressing the oil from rapeseed or mustard seed contains both valuable proteins and toxic chemicals. He removes the toxic chemicals to yield a meal with nearly 40 percent better-balanced proteins. This protein-rich meal can improve the nutrition of animal feed and increase its economic production.
The isolated toxic chemicals may be used as a soil fumigant or to selectively kill pests or unwanted weeds. In the testing, such chemicals have killed dreaded slugs, yet are pet-friendly.
Another by-product to biodiesel production is erucic acid, valuable in making more than 200 industrial products such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, cosmetics, ink, and photographic and recording materials. He seeks ways to isolate this fatty acid from the oil for use as a separate product -- and then to recycle the balance back into the biodiesel production stream.
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