Biodiesel often has emulsified water as a result of water washing. This project involves vacuum filtration through a hydrophilic membrane to demulsify water-in-oil emulsions. In this process, tiny water droplets coalesce near the pore surface, while the aqueous phase penetrates through the membrane with oil. This leads to spontaneous formation of two separate phrases, oil and water. Through this process, the water content in kerosene sharply decreases, increasing the electric resistance by almost 40 times. The purpose is to do the same with biodiesel.

There are several benefits of this project toward students. The use of biodiesel in university vehicles contributes to a more environmentally conscious community. Furthering the method of removing water based emulsifications in oils can also be used to aid additional oil based research or RSO’s around the campus. The idea is to introduce our technology and collaborate with student groups. On that note, the involvement of students in this project is critical to its purposes. The demulsification process can be applied to other RSO’s and other student based organizations that can utilize the procedure, particularly the biodiesel initiative-based groups. Additionally, undergraduate students are directly involved in the process of this project, from the demulsification to the water washing.