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Teenagers from Paraná would be able to transform cooking oil into sustainable and economical fuel. One bus that used the fuel managed to run for more than a week.
A project by teenagers transformed the traditional biodiesel cooking oil, in Paraná. The group of students who transformed cooking oil into fuel is from Conselheiro Carrão State College, full-time public high school, in Assaí (PR). With this, teenagers from Paraná created a junior startup to generate biodiesel.
Meet the young women responsible for transforming cooking oil into fuel
Through the teenagers' project, a bus ran for almost a week without needing to be refueled. The oil in which it was used was not pure, but it was transformed into biofuel by a group of girls from a public school located in Assaí, almost 400 km from the capital Curitiba.
Those responsible for the project are Eduarda Priscila Miura, aged 17, Leticia Ayumi Tazima Sato, aged 17, Luiza Alves de Souza, aged 17, Eduarda Pietra Santos Paixão, aged 16 and Fabiane Hikari Kikuti, also aged 16.
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According to Matheus Rossi, professor of Chemistry and Physics and supervisor of the work, the main objective of the project, which was named BIOSUN, is to organize the production of biofuel composed of cooking oil within the school. Furthermore, it also aims to promote the creation of a green line in the city, focusing on public policies on urban mobility and sustainability.
The idea of the teenagers from Paraná was to transform, with the support of the city hall, part of the school buses into a specific line that only operates with the new fuel produced by the project. It is a means of solving the problem of irregular disposal of organic compounds and, at the same time, promoting a true scientific and business experience.
Teenagers from Paraná speak out about the project
O BIOSUN it was carried out for a hackathon, a municipal programming marathon and developed during extracurricular activities at the school that has full-time secondary education. Through a partnership with UFPR (Federal University of Paraná), the project to transform cooking oil into fuel had access to the institution's chemistry laboratory and necessary reagents to create biodiesel.
Leticia Ayumi highlights that she really likes the area of natural sciences, laboratory experience and the idea of working on scientific research to solve everyday problems. For Eduarda Pietra, this is an opportunity to put concepts learned in the classroom into practice. The teenager highlights that it has been an incredible experience, especially because she has always been curious about the laboratory part and grew up hearing a lot about the importance of sustainable ideas.
The process to transform cooking oil into fuel
The project by teenagers from Paraná is based on the premise that most of the cooking oil is recycled into soap. However, when added to some chemical products, it is possible to generate an alternative, ecological fuel with lower pollution levels.
In this way, at BIOSUN, the waste collected is heated and combined with alcohol and a strong base. The first batches were generated at the school itself and the others were developed within UFPR, at the Jandaia do Sul hub.
Rossi explains that, initially, a sample was collected, a small amount that would be enough for the bus to participate in the parade. During this phase, the equivalent of 12 liters of oil was collected from the school's teachers, who were transformed into 10 liters of biodiesel.
The transformation of cooking oil into fuel took place through a process called transesterification. First, the oil was filtered to remove any solid residues. Then, the oil was heated and mixed with alcohol and a strong base, generating biodiesel and glycerol, going through 4 washing steps, for use.
