Friday, May 30, 2008

Finished Mural

Our mural shows how we recycle used vegetable oil to run our car.

If you look at the hood, you can see what is under the hood, allowing the car to run on WVO.

First, energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis. Crops like corn and soy use photosynthesis to absorb carbon dioxide from the air as they grow.

The corn and soy are pressed into oil and used in local restaurants.

We collect the oil and filter all the crumbs and impurities out so they don't clog the diesel engine. The oil is filtered 4 times through 400 micron, 100 micron, 30 micron, and 15 micron filters.

And that clean oil is what goes into the 15 gal. WVO tank that is mounted in the back of our Benz.

12 comments:

Mr Pineapples said...

are you all mad?

Mr. Cantor said...

I like to think we are mad scientists.

Mr Pineapples said...

Yup - you got that mad bit right...unless of course you are trying to come up with an alternative to oil

JoanKane said...

What a fabulous project! You are on the first step to change the way we use cars in Chicago...

Unknown said...

Great job. thought you might be interested in this news story.
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--You can always tell what the bus has eaten.

This summer, 12 students from New Hampshire's Dartmouth College are driving across the country in a renovated school bus, called The Big Green Bus, fueled almost entirely on waste vegetable oil culled from fast-food restaurants along the way. The emissions from the bus smell distinctly like the food which the oil cooked earlier, said team leader Andrew Zabel.
Click here to Play

Video: Bus that runs on veggie oil and solar power
Dartmouth project on wheels is coming to a town near you.

"If it's Mexican, you can tell. If it's Chinese, you know. They all have distinct scents," he said. "It is the flavor of the week. You can definitely smell a difference between diesel and grease."

shmuel421 said...

Looks so great!! I think the coolest part is that by painting the car, you're giving people an easy way to understand exactly how this works (and it looks really awesome)

Anonymous said...

Well, folks, I have to say I'm extremely impressed. Congratulations on all your hard work and on your dedication to protecting our environment.

I've been thinking a lot about buying a hybrid vehicle, but now I think I might be in the market for one that runs on WVO!

I can see that you've learned all sorts of things from this - chemistry, mechanics, art...what else?

And, what are ya'll going to do with your car, now that the project's done?

Anonymous said...

Wow, I am so impressed! You guys did so much work on this project. Looks like you learned a lot too. I love the paint job and how informative it is. KEEP SAVING THE EARTH!

Susie in Chicago

Anonymous said...

What a great project. We need more people working on alternative energy. Cleaning up the environment and being energy independent will happen spoonfuls at a time not in big batches. We need many new methodologies, each of which will provide a few percentage points of success.

Anonymous said...

As a driver of a hybrid vehicle, I'm impressed with all kinds of alternative ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Your project is very impressive, and I see how much you must have learned to be able to conduct such a valuable experiment.

Anonymous said...

hey this rave i like how it look that pic of me looks wired.

Unknown said...

I am truly amazed at your wonderful project. It is a great way to get people excited about helping the earth in a fun and imaginative way. Not only have you created an AMAZING teaching tool for the community but, it is a beautiful work of art. Great job North-Grand!