Indian Students Develop a Machine that Converts Cooking Oil to Biodiesel

A team of three students from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) developed a prototype machine called FAME One, which converts waste cooking oil into biodiesel. The invention is eco-friendly and affordable, thus opening doors for its use in rural setups to convert oil seeds into diesel.

FAME One utilizes the transesterification process and, apart from waste cooking oil, requires water, alcohol, and a catalyst. The students have also done feasibility tests on the machine. Their results show that it is an efficient way to cut down on diesel usage as well as dispose the waste oil generated every day.

The students, who recently won the GE Edison challenge and a cash prize of 1 million rupees, plan to use their prize money to conduct further research on the product and its market launch.