Biodiesel: The afterlife of oil - Natascia Radice
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Not SyncedJUst a minute ago,
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Not Syncedthis oil helped make a delicious meal possible.
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Not SyncedBut now, it's just some nasty goop.
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Not SyncedWhat should we do with it?
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Not SyncedWell, the easiest thing would be
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Not Syncedto pour it down the drain;
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Not Syncedthat makes it seem likes it's gone,
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Not Syncedbut it's not really gone.
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Not SyncedInstead, it's collecting bits of food
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Not Syncedand other random stuff,
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Not Syncedproducing monsterous, greasy blockages,
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Not Syncedthat clog not only your own drain
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Not Syncedbut entire sewage systems,
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Not Syncedcausing flooding and pollution.
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Not SyncedMany places have laws for proper disposal of grease,
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Not Syncedbut we can go one step further.
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Not SyncedInstead of just throwing it away safely,
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Not Syncedwe can turn it into something useful.
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Not SyncedAnd if you're wondering
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Not Syncedwhat anyone could possibly want
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Not Syncedwith a bunch of digusting, used cooking oil,
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Not Syncedthe answer is: biodiesel.
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Not SyncedYou've probably heard of diesel engines.
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Not SyncedThey power farming and construction equipment,
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Not Syncedtrucks, buses, ships, trains, back-up generators,
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Not Syncedand even some cars.
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Not SyncedMost of the fuel that feeds these engines
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Not Syncedis refined from petroleum,
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Not Syncedwhich comes from long-dead dinosaurs
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Not Syncedand other ancient fossils.
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Not SyncedBut diesel fuel can also be derived from
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Not Syncedmore recently-dead organisms,
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Not Syncedlike plants and animals.
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Not SyncedAnd this type of fuel is what we call biodiesel.
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Not SyncedBiodiesel is a biodegradable energy source,
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Not Syncedmade from plant oil or animal fat.
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Not Syncedthat can usually be burned in regular diesel engines.
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Not SyncedYou guessed it,
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Not Syncedit's the 'bio' version of diesel.
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Not SyncedIt's cleaner than normal diesel,
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Not Syncedso there has been a push to generate it
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Not Syncedfrom crops like soybeans.
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Not SyncedNow, growing crops for fuel
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Not Syncedinstead of food, comes with its own problems.
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Not SyncedBut fortunately, we already have some oils and fats right here.
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Not SyncedPreparing your used cooking grease for recycling
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Not Syncedis easy.
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Not SyncedFirst, let it cool down to room temperature.
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Not SyncedThen, transfer it to a clean container.
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Not SyncedYou can use any old bottles you have lying around,
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Not Syncedlike milk jugs,
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Not Syncedas long as they're completely empty
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Not Synced, rinsed, and dried.
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Not SyncedUse a funnel to avoid spills
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Not Syncedand a civ to to filter out any small food particles.
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Not SyncedYou can even add bacon grease,
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Not Syncedand other animal fats,
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Not Syncedor the excess oil from canned food,
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Not Syncedlike tuna or sardines,
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Not Syncedjust make sure it's really oil and not brine.
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Not SyncedSo, what happens now that your oil is safely contained?
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Not SyncedMany cities have recycling services,
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Not Syncedthat will pick up large amounts of grease
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Not Syncedfrom restaurants and other establishments.
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Not SyncedBut there are locations
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Not Syncedwhere individuals can drop off their containers, as well.
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Not SyncedAll of this grease will end up at a processing plant,
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Not Syncedwhere it can be converted to useable biodiesel.
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Not SyncedHow does this conversion work?
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Not SyncedAll these oils and fats you donated
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Not Syncedare made up of triglycerides,
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Not Synceda glycerol molecule connected to
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Not Syncedthree fatty acid chains.
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Not SyncedTo convert fats to fuel,
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Not Syncedthey react with an alcohol,
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Not Syncedusually methanol or ethanol.
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Not Synced, which produces long-chain esters and glycerol.
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Not SyncedTo compare, here are some molecules
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Not Syncedof regular diesel fuel.
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Not SyncedNow, here are some molecules we created
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Not Syncedby breaking apart the triglycerides.
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Not SyncedGlycerol is the odd man out,
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Not Syncedso it's removed at the end of the process.
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Not SyncedBut look at these esters!
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Not SyncedIf you squint, these structures look pretty similar
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Not Syncedto those of the long-chain hydrocarbons of regular diesel.
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Not SyncedAnd diesel engines, with a few small modifications,
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Not Syncedcan also be made to squint
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Not Syncedand burn these esters like regular diesel fuel.
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Not SyncedEt voila! Biodiesel.
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Not SyncedNow, you might be wondering
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Not Syncedif all this hassle over recycled and used cooking oil
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Not Syncedis even worth it.
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Not SyncedAfter all, how much energy could it possibly generate?
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Not SyncedWell, if all the grease that New Yorkers throw away in one day,
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Not Syncedwere converted to jet fuel,
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Not Syncedit would be enough to power several hundred flights
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Not Syncedfrom New York to Los Angeles.
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Not SyncedAnd let's not forget that using waste oil
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Not Syncedinstead of burning more fossil fuels
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Not Syncedwill limit our negative effects on the environment.
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Not SyncedRecycling used cooking grease
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Not Syncedturns goop into good
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Not SyncedBy contributing a little bit,
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Not Syncedindividuals and businesses can help create
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Not Syncedan alternative, stable source of diesel oil,
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Not Syncedwhile protecting the environment
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Not Syncedand keeping our cities cleaner.
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Not SyncedAnd 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 |