Comparison of Biodiesel Feedstocks Common to Coastal Alaska

Biodiesel is a non-petroleum fuel designed to run in a diesel engine. It can be made from a variety of different feedstocks, including virgin vegetable oil, waste cooking oil, and animal fats. The aim of this research was to compare and contrast biodiesel made from fish oil to other more traditional sources. In this paper I examined traditional biodiesel feedstocks available in coastal Alaska. These sources were: virgin olive oil, virgin corn oil, waste canola oil and mixed cooking oils. These samples were tested against biodiesel made from fish oil, to investigate if fish oil is a viable alternative feedstock. The findings indicate that herring oil is not a viable substitute feedstock mainly because the resulting biodiesel is solid at room temperature. A separate aim of the research was to investigate if fish oil could be turned into biodiesel using equipment that had been recycled. This portion of the research showed that indeed, a reactor can be built from recycled materials, however there was not an opportunity to test it specifically with fish oil.