Made from vegetable oil, waste oil, or animal fats, biodiesel fuel is renewable and nearly carbon neutral; it requires little engine modification, and over time can reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. Over the past few decades, the production of biodiesel has increased significantly. Here at the University of Cincinnati (UC), biodiesel is being generated from fryer oil from campus dining halls to reduce diesel use and enhance sustainability on the campus. A secondary goal is to use this process as a real world classroom for students, K-12 teachers, and interested community members wishing to optimize conversion of waste cooking oil to biodiesel. The production of biodiesel at the UC is accomplished via transesterification, whereby waste fryer oil and methanol are converted, with the aid of the catalyst sodium hydroxide, to methyl esters, or biodiesel, and glycerol. The pretreatment, titration/pilot test, full-scale production, and purification processes are quantitatively described here, as are the estimated costs and potential uses of biodiesel on campus.

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