http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=44203February 28, 2006
Corvallis, Oregon. Chemical engineering researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have reportedly developed a tiny chemical reactor for manufacturing biodiesel that could enable farmers to produce a cleaner-burning diesel substitute on their farms using seed crops they grow on their own land in less time than current processes.
"By stacking many of these microreactors in parallel, a device the size of a small suitcase could produce enough biodiesel to power several farms, or produce hundreds of thousands of gallons per year." -- Goran Jovanovic, the Oregon State University professor who developed the biodiesel microreactor
"If we're successful with this, nobody will ever make biodiesel any other way," said Goran Jovanovic, the OSU professor who developed the biodiesel microreactor. The microreactor developed at OSU eliminates the mixing, the standing time for separation and potentially the need for a dissolved catalyst. The new unit, which is said to be efficient, fast and portable, dispenses with what is often a tedious and costly process to make biodiesel.
But more importantly, Jovanovic says, the microreactor, which is about half the size of a thick credit card, could help farmers reduce their dependence on mass-produced petroleum as well as reduce the need to distribute fuel via truck, tanker or pipeline.
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