Illini Biodiesel Initiative recycles used vegetable oil for sustainability

The Daily Illini
Catherine Bennett The Daily Illini
Posted: October 13, 2011 - 9:37 PM
Updated: October 17, 2011 - 8:19 PM

A regular at mealtime in the Ikenberry Dining Hall, fried food has become a staple in the college diet. Though not at the forefront of anyone’s mind during dinner, by eating fried chicken, in a small way, students are helping the University toward a sustainable future. Behind the scenes, a tank that collects all the waste vegetable oil used to prepare some of students’ favorite foods is directly piped into the kitchen system.

Once a week, the Illini Biodiesel Initiative, a registered student organization, collects around 100 gallons of oil from Ikenberry, loads it onto the back of a truck and drives it to Research Park. Here, the oil is put into a 400-gallon thermal reactor, heated and turned into biodiesel — an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline.

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