A group of Virginia Tech students has produced more than 200 gallons of biodiesel as part of an interdisciplinary senior design project. The Virginia Tech Bio-Fuels group is putting the fuel to direct use, running two pickup trucks on the liquid in a bid to not only stave off the use of foreign-bought oil but also to be environmentally friendly. The B100 biodiesel is made from waste vegetable oil (WVO) obtained from local restaurants and processed in a nondescript warehouse along Virginia Tech's Plantation Road, surrounded by fields dedicated to farm animals. The 200 gallons were made during the past two months, mainly by processing equipment donated to the student team. The project is overseen by Foster Agblevor, associate professor of biological systems engineering. Meredith Herrmann of Manasquan, N.J., has served the team as project manager and systems engineer. For more information: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=440 (adapted from Steven Mackay, 2009).
