The First Biodiesel Revival is scheduled for November 12 at the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research at Slippery Rock University.

The event will be led by Greg Boulos, co-founder of Steel City Biofuels, a local company dedicated to promoting the use of locally manufactured fuels in the Western Pennsylvania region.

Boulos, an SRU alum from the Sustainable Systems program, will demonstrate how to make diesel fuel from waste and virgin vegetable oils and answer questions about local production and on-farm feasibility.

The educational component of the workshop will provide background information about biodiesel, discuss the uses and benefits of biodiesel, address the preparation process, evaluate resource and safety precautions, and discuss the future of fuel.

The production component of the workshop will allow for participants to work in small groups to calculate titrations and to perform small batch reactions. The focus will be demonstrating the feasibility of producing biodiesel in usable quantities.

In advance of the workshop, participants are encouraged to secure their own 500-1000 ml samples of vegetable oil from a local source, such as a restaurant or from home, to bring to the workshop for processing.

The First Biodiesel Revival is free, but advance registration is requested for participation due to space limitations. Please call the Macoskey Center at 724-738-4050 to register by November 7.

10/21/2005