The Rice University Biodiesel Initiative (RUBI)

Biodiesel Pilot Project

RUBI's primary focus is to convert waste cooking oil from Rice University kitchens into biodiesel using the acid-base process.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, RUBI started producing biodiesel in 200ml beakers, and then a 1-gallon reactor, and then a 5-gallon reactor.  While optimizing the process in a lab, RUBI began construction of a 70-gallon reactor in a dedicated facility, located adjacent to the loading dock of Sid Richardson College. 

Beginning in February 2006, approved test batches of biodiesel were used to power diesel lawnmowers belonging to Facilities Engineering and Planning (FE&P).  Various blends up to B20 (20% biodiesel) were tested in two Exmark riding mowers and two Toro riding mowers.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, RUBI will begin production using the 70-gallon reactor, resulting in batches of 50-100 gallons per week of biodiesel.  This biodiesel will continue to fuel diesel engines in the FE&P fleet, as well as a van belonging to Housing and Dining (H&D), and a campus shuttle bus.

With the assistance of RUBI faculty and staff, students have designed and built several reactors, a condenser, and all the various equipment necessary to have a successful biodiesel plant.  Students have analyzed both the acid-base process and the two step base process as well as learned how to create biodiesel meeting ASTM specifications through testing with a gas chromatograph.

However, RUBI's mission is not just to product biodiesel.  It is a way for undergraduate and graduate students to work together to perform research and gain hands-on experience in design and production.  It is also an opportunity to inform the broader community about the benefits of biodiesel. 

Biodiesel News

RUBI was included in an opinion piece (here) about biofuels in The Daily Texan on July 9, 2008.

RUBI was featured in Energy Daily on June 27, 2007.  Click here to read all about it.

RUBI was featured on the 6PM broadcast of the KHOU-TV News on Thursday, May 11, 2006.  Click here to read the text of the story and here to watch the video.

The Rice News published a story about RUBI on June 29th, 2006 (here), and the West University Examiner featured RUBI on June 1, 2006 (here). 

Click here for RUBI photos!

Get Involved

You don't have to be a chemical engineer to join RUBI!  There are many ways to be a part of RUBI, from actual biodiesel production to economic modeling to outreach and more.  Click here for a list of potential RUBI projects.

To become involved with RUBI, please contact Guyton Durnin.

Click here for a list of RUBI participants.

Supporters of RUBI

The Shell Center for Sustainability, the Energy and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI), and the Center for the Study of Environment and Society (CSES) have helped fund RUBI's pilot project, and the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department provide administrative and faculty oversight.  Additional funding has been made available through a Leadership Rice Envision Grant.

RUBI also wishes to acknowledge the support of Housing and Dining, who have provided both space and feedstock for RUBI's operations, and will soon be using RUBI biodiesel in their catering van; and Facilities Engineering and Planning, who donated the time of a project manager to oversee build-out of RUBI's facility, and who have allowed testing of biodiesel in their diesel mowers. 

RUBI History

The Rice University Biodiesel Initiative, or RUBI, was founded in the summer of 2005 by graduate students Christine Robichaud and Matt Yarrison, and graduate student spouse Christian Eddleman.  They were then joined by undergraduates Lizzi Clark and Guyton Durnin.

Biodiesel Resources

• Biodiesel America - A campaign to convert school buses to biodiesel fuel.
• Biodiesel FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions about biodiesel, provided by the National Biodiesel Board.
• BioWillie - Willie Nelson's biodiesel brand.
• Houston Biodiesel - A Houston-based biodiesel group, founded by a Rice University graduate. 
• National Biodiesel Board - The biodiesel industry's national trade association.
• Project Bio-Bus - A group of Middlebury College students who drove a biodiesel-powered school bus around the US to raise awareness and promote the use of biodiesel fuel.
• US Department of Energy Biodiesel Resources - Biodiesel resources from DOE's Clean Cities program, situated within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
• US Environmental Protection Agency Biodiesel Emissions Analysis - An effort by EPA to quantify the air pollution emission effects of biodiesel for diesel engines. 

Last updated: July 9, 2008