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Tiny Biodiesel Reactors

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the tiny-power-plant dept.

Lee_in_KC writes "A professor of chemical engineering at Oregon State University developed a small reactor to directly convert vegetable oil to biodiesel. Goran Jovanovic reports his invention is approximately the size of a credit card. It pumps vegetable oil and alcohol through parallel channels to convert the oil into biodiesel almost instantly. Current mainstream methods to produce biodiesel take more than a day and also produces other byproducts which must be neutralized before disposal or use in other manufacturing processes."

9 of 369 comments (clear)

  1. Two Words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mr. Fusion.

  2. Just what America needs... by brian0918 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Aren't we fat enough without our cars putting on extra pounds as well?!?! Vegetable oil has like 20 grams of fat per serving.. I wonder how many miles-per-gallon my Hummer will get after its intake is clogged with cholesterol..

    1. Re:Just what America needs... by PapayaSF · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, you're looking at it backwards: think of all the excess fat we have available for automobile fuel! Every liposuction could be like a little oil well....

      --
      Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
  3. Great news... by Easy2RememberNick · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'd applaude but the sodium methoxide disolved the flesh of my hands.

  4. Can I get Tiny Reflective Mudflap Women... by Nova+Express · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...to put on my tiny biodiesel engine? That way all the other miniature tiny biodiesel trucks will know to blow their tiny horns as I pass...

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

  5. Will that be cash - or biodiesel? by WillAffleck · · Score: 4, Funny

    I find it interesting that the biodiesel reactor is - literally - the size of a credit card.

    Biodiesel car upgrade $50
    New fuel lines $80
    Energy independence ... Priceless!

    For a free fuel life, there's GTA
    For everything else, there's BiodieselCard.

    --
    Will in Seattle
  6. Well now that's just silly. by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Funny

    I mean, my car already runs on a credit-card-sized device. It's called a credit card.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  7. Really? by LoRdTAW · · Score: 3, Funny

    "a unit about the size of a computer printer and costing $1,000 to $5,000 could produce as much as 50,000 to 100,000 gallons of biodiesel a year."
    "Jovanovic compared it to Hewlett-Packard when that company invented the inkjet printer cartridge."


    Looks at printer sized bio diesel generator: ...REPLACE CYAN BIO DIESEL CARTRIDGE...

    This guy must really like printers.

  8. What I really want to know... by thatseattleguy · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...is whether it can run in reverse: pump in biodiesel and veggie oil, and get pure alcohol out the other end. Then we'll really have something! :}