The Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI) converts waste vegetable oil from campus dining halls into diodiesel (intended for campus vehicles) and biosoap (intended for preswashing in the dining halls), and aims to do so in a financially and environmental sustainable manner. Currently Garage and Car Pool, IBI's largest customer, requires that biodiesel meets the ASTM D6751 standard. This requires frequent quality control testing that would be cost prohibitive for a project of this scale to send on off-site firm. The equipment funded by SSC through this award will allow students, under faculty guidance, to conduct their own quality control testing at a more economical cost. In addition to the hands-on experience students will gain, this also gives IBI all the tools to be fully financially self-supporting. 

The proposal directly funds:

1. Equipment for conducting tests

2. Initial reagents and other supplies for the first round of testing