Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice
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0:07 - 0:08Just a minute ago,
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0:08 - 0:11this oil helped make a delicious meal possible.
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0:11 - 0:14But now, it's just some nasty goop.
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0:14 - 0:15What should we do with it?
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0:15 - 0:16Well, the easiest thing would be
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0:16 - 0:17to pour it down the drain;
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0:17 - 0:19that makes it seem like it's gone,
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0:19 - 0:21but it's not really gone.
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0:21 - 0:23Instead, it's collecting bits of food
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0:23 - 0:24and other random stuff,
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0:24 - 0:27producing monstrous, greasy blockages
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0:27 - 0:29that clog not only your own drain
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0:29 - 0:30but entire sewage systems,
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0:30 - 0:33causing flooding and pollution.
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0:33 - 0:37Many places have laws for proper disposal of grease,
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0:37 - 0:39but we can go one step further.
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0:39 - 0:41Instead of just throwing it away safely,
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0:41 - 0:43we can turn it into something useful.
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0:43 - 0:44And if you're wondering
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0:44 - 0:46what anyone could possibly want
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0:46 - 0:48with a bunch of digusting, used cooking oil,
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0:48 - 0:50the answer is: biodiesel.
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0:50 - 0:52You've probably heard of diesel engines.
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0:52 - 0:55They power farming and construction equipment,
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0:55 - 0:58trucks, buses, ships, trains, backup generators,
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0:58 - 1:00and even some cars.
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1:00 - 1:02Most of the fuel that feeds these engines
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1:02 - 1:03is refined from petroleum,
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1:03 - 1:05which comes from long-dead dinosaurs
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1:05 - 1:07and other ancient fossils.
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1:07 - 1:09But diesel fuel can also be derived from
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1:09 - 1:11more recently-dead organisms,
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1:11 - 1:12like plants and animals.
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1:12 - 1:15And this type of fuel is what we call biodiesel.
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1:15 - 1:18Biodiesel is a biodegradable energy source,
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1:18 - 1:20made from plant oils or animal fats,
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1:20 - 1:24that can usually be burned in regular diesel engines.
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1:24 - 1:25You guessed it,
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1:25 - 1:27it's the 'bio' version of diesel.
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1:27 - 1:28It's cleaner than normal diesel,
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1:28 - 1:30so there has been a push to generate it
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1:30 - 1:32from crops like soybeans.
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1:32 - 1:34Now, growing plants for fuel,
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1:34 - 1:36instead of food, comes with its own problems.
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1:36 - 1:41But fortunately, we already have some oils and fats right here.
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1:41 - 1:42Preparing your used cooking grease for recycling
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1:42 - 1:44is easy.
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1:44 - 1:46First, let it cool down to room temperature.
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1:46 - 1:48Then, transfer it to a clean container.
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1:48 - 1:51You can use any old bottles you have lying around,
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1:51 - 1:52like milk jugs,
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1:52 - 1:53as long as they're completely empty,
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1:53 - 1:55rinsed, and dried.
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1:55 - 1:56Use a funnel to avoid spills
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1:56 - 2:00and a sieve to filter out any small food particles.
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2:00 - 2:01You can even add bacon grease
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2:01 - 2:02and other animal fats
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2:02 - 2:03or the excess oil from canned food,
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2:03 - 2:06like tuna or sardines,
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2:06 - 2:09just make sure it's really oil and not brine.
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2:09 - 2:11So, what happens now that your oil is safely contained?
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2:11 - 2:14Well, many cities have recycling services
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2:14 - 2:16that will pick up large amounts of grease
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2:16 - 2:18from restaurants and other establishments.
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2:18 - 2:19But there are locations
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2:19 - 2:22where individuals can drop off their containers, as well.
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2:22 - 2:24All of this grease will end up at a processing plant,
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2:24 - 2:27where it can be converted to useable biodiesel.
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2:27 - 2:29How does this conversion work?
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2:29 - 2:32Well, all these oils and fats you donated
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2:32 - 2:33are made up of triglycerides,
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2:33 - 2:35a glycerol molecule connected to
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2:35 - 2:37three fatty acid chains.
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2:37 - 2:39To convert fats to fuel,
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2:39 - 2:41they react with an alcohol,
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2:41 - 2:42usually methanol or ethanol,
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2:42 - 2:45which produces long-chain esters and glycerol.
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2:45 - 2:47To compare, here are some molecules
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2:47 - 2:49of regular diesel fuel.
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2:49 - 2:51Now, here are the molecules we created
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2:51 - 2:53by breaking apart the triglycerides.
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2:53 - 2:55Glycerol is the odd man out,
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2:55 - 2:58so it's removed at the end of the process.
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2:58 - 3:00But look at these esters!
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3:00 - 3:02If you squint, their structures look pretty similar
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3:02 - 3:06to those of the long-chain hydrocarbons in regular diesel.
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3:06 - 3:08And diesel engines, with a few small modifications,
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3:08 - 3:11can also be made to squint
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3:11 - 3:14and burn these esters like regular diesel fuel.
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3:14 - 3:16Et voila! Biodiesel.
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3:16 - 3:19Now, you might be wondering whether all this hassle
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3:19 - 3:20over recycling used cooking oil
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3:20 - 3:22is even worth it.
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3:22 - 3:25After all, how much energy can it possibly generate?
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3:25 - 3:29Well, if all the grease that New Yorkers throw away in one day
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3:29 - 3:31were converted to jet fuel,
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3:31 - 3:34it would be enough to power several hundred flights
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3:34 - 3:36from New York to Los Angeles.
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3:36 - 3:38And let's not forget that using waste oil
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3:38 - 3:40instead of burning more fossil fuels
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3:40 - 3:43will limit our negative effects on the environment.
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3:43 - 3:45Recycling used cooking grease
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3:45 - 3:47turns goop into good.
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3:47 - 3:48By contributing a little bit,
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3:48 - 3:50individuals and businesses can help create
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3:50 - 3:52an alternative, stable source of diesel oil,
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3:52 - 3:54while protecting the environment
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3:54 - 3:56and keeping our cities cleaner.
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3:56 - 4:00And that's pretty slick.
- Title:
- Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice
- Description:
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/biodiesel-the-afterlife-of-oil-natascia-radice
How could you dispose of your cooking oil when you're done cooking? The easiest thing to do might be to pour it down your drain -- but if you save it up and send it to a processing plant, it can gain useful new life as biodiesel, a biodegradable energy source which can run in diesel engines instead of refined petroleum. Natascia Radice describes the process of turning goop into good.
Lesson by Natascia Radice, animation by Lippy.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:15
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jennifer Cody approved English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jennifer Cody accepted English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice |