Monday, May 25, 2020

How to Make Biodiesel From Vegetable Oil

Biodiesel is a diesel fuel that is made by reacting vegetable oil (cooking oil) with other common chemicals. Biodiesel may be used in any diesel automotive engine in its pure form or blended with petroleum-based diesel. No modifications are required, and the result is a less-expensive, renewable, clean-burning fuel. Heres how to make biodiesel from fresh oil. You can also make biodiesel from waste cooking oil, but that is a little more involved, so lets start with the basics. Materials for Making Biodiesel 1 liter of new vegetable oil (e.g., canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil)3.5 grams (0.12 ounces) sodium hydroxide (also known as lye). Sodium hydroxide is used for some drain cleaners. The label should state that the product contains sodium hydroxide (not calcium hypochlorite, which is found in many other drain cleaners).200 milliliters (6.8 fluid ounces) of methanol (methyl alcohol). Heet fuel treatment is methanol. Be sure the label says the product contains methanol (Iso-Heet, for example, contains isopropyl alcohol and wont work).Blender with a low-speed option. The pitcher for the blender is to be used only for making biodiesel. You want to use one made from glass, not plastic because the methanol you will use can react with plastic.Digital scale to accurately measure 3.5 grams, which equals 0.12 ouncesGlass container marked for 200 milliliters (6.8 fluid ounces). If you dont have a beaker, measure the volume using a measuring cup, pour it into a glass jar, then mark the fill-line on the outside of the jar.Glass or plastic container that is marked for 1 liter (1.1 quarts)Widemouthed glass or plastic container that will hold at least 1.5 liters (2-quart pitcher works well)Safety glasses, gloves, and an (optional) apron You do not want to get sodium hydroxide or methanol on your skin, nor do you want to breathe the vapors from either chemical. Both are toxic. Please read the warning labels on the containers for these products. Methanol is readily absorbed through your skin, so do not get it on your hands. Sodium hydroxide is caustic and will give you a chemical burn. Prepare your biodiesel in a well-ventilated area. If you spill either chemical on your skin, rinse it off immediately with water. How to Make Biodiesel You want to prepare the biodiesel in a room that is at least 70 degrees F because the chemical reaction will not proceed to completion if the temperature is too low.If you havent already, label all your containers as Toxic—Only Use for Making Biodiesel. You dont want anyone drinking your supplies, and you dont want to use the glassware for food again.Pour 200 milliliters methanol (Heet) into the glass blender pitcher.Turn the blender on its lowest setting and slowly add 3.5 grams sodium hydroxide (lye). This reaction produces sodium methoxide, which must be used right away or else it loses its effectiveness. (Like sodium hydroxide, it can be stored away from air/moisture, but that might not be practical for a home setup.)Mix the methanol and sodium hydroxide until the sodium hydroxide has completely dissolved (about 2 minutes), then add 1 liter of vegetable oil to this mixture.Continue blending this mixture (on low speed) for 20 to 30 minutes.Pour the mixture into a widemouthe d jar. You will see the liquid start to separate out into layers. The bottom layer will be glycerin. The top layer is biodiesel.Allow at least a couple of hours for the mixture to fully separate. You want to keep the top layer as your biodiesel fuel. If you like, you can keep the glycerin for other projects. You can either carefully pour off the biodiesel or use a pump or baster to pull the biodiesel off of the glycerin. Using Biodiesel Normally, you can use pure biodiesel or a mixture of biodiesel and petroleum diesel as a fuel in any unmodified diesel engine. There are two situations in which you definitely should mix biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel: If you are going to be running the engine at a temperature lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees C), you should mix biodiesel with petroleum diesel. A 50:50 mixture will work in cold weather. Pure biodiesel will thicken and cloud at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which could clog your fuel line and stop your engine. Pure petroleum diesel, in contrast, has a cloud point of -10 degrees Fahrenheit (-24 degrees C). The colder your conditions, the higher the percentage of petroleum diesel you will want to use. Above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, you can use pure biodiesel without any problem. Both types of diesel return to normal as soon as the temperature warms above their cloud point.You will want to use a mixture of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum diesel (called B20) if your engine has natural rubber seals or hoses. Pure biodiesel can degrade natural rubber, though B20 tends not to cause problems. If you have an older engine (which is where natural rubber parts are found), you could replace t he rubber with polymer parts and run pure biodiesel. Biodiesel Stability and Shelf Life You probably dont stop to think about it, but all fuels have a shelf life that depends on their chemical composition and storage conditions. The chemical stability of biodiesel depends on the oil from which it was derived. Biodiesel from oils that naturally contain the antioxidant tocopherol or vitamin E (e.g., rapeseed oil) remain usable longer than biodiesel from other types of vegetable oils. According to Jobwerx.com, stability is noticeably diminished after 10 days, and the fuel may be unusable after two months. Temperature also affects fuel stability in that excessive temperatures may denature the fuel.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Essay A Hobbesian and Heroic Unreflective Citizenship

A Hobbesian and Heroic Unreflective Citizenship In Meno, Plato asks â€Å"what virtue itself is† (Plato 60). This dialogue on virtue between Socrates and Meno ably frames a wider dialogue on ethics between Thomas Hobbes, the Greek heroic tradition, and the sophists of 5th century Athens. Hobbes’ Leviathan and Aristophanes’ The Clouds introduce three classes of ethical actors to respond to Plato’s inquiry: Hobbes’ ethical lemmings, the heroic ethical traditionalists, and the sophist ethical opportunists. The Meno also helps capture the essence of contemporary discussion of the morality of desire and emotivism, as articulated by Roberto Mangabeira Unger in Knowledge and Politics and Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue. Finally, I will†¦show more content†¦MENO: †¦if you want the virtue of a man, it is easy to say that a man’s virtue consists of being able to†¦benefit his friends and harm his enemies and to be careful that no harm comes to himself. (60) To the extent that the morality of desire and emotivism hold true, objectivism finds no traction in ethics. These doctrines preclude the exclusion of the self in evaluation of questions of morality and ethics. Meno’s crude and self-interested model of virtue complements Unger and MacIntyre’s discussion of subjectivity. Subjectivism forms a cornerstone of Thomas Hobbes’ understanding of human nature. Hobbes describes reason as the â€Å"scout† (Hobbes 68) of the passions. In other words, reason is unable to control or transcend human passions, but serves only to carry out the ends selected by these passions. In the context of ethics, Hobbes believes that the influence of the passions renders useless the use of mathematical and authoritative â€Å"right reason† (46) in subjective matters of right and wrong, justice and injustice: †¦different constitutions of body and prejudices of opinion, gives everything a tincture of our different passions†¦ a man must take heed of words which†¦ have a signification also of the nature, disposition, and interest of the speaker: such are the names of virtues and vices†¦And therefore such names can never be true grounds of any ratiocination.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Work Life Balance In Singapore Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Work Life Balance In Singapore. Answer: Work life balance refers to the notion that promotes the proper division of the prioritization between the work and the lifestyle of a certain person (Burg-Brown, 2013). The ambitions and the career of a person may be collectively known as the work life of a person. The lifestyle of the person refers to the family life, the activities that bring about pleasure, the leisure times and most importantly the health of a person. According to Richmond and Rohlfing, (2013), the balance that needs to be maintained between the lifestyle and the work-life of a person is heavily dependent on the achievement and the enjoyment that the concerned person may get involved in. According to Rife and Hall, (2015), the employers should be able to promote the positive culture in the workplace so that the concerned employee may attain the balance between his or her lifestyle and the work-life of the concerned employee. This may be achieved by setting the flexibility of the working hours for the employees of the concern. According to a news article published by the news magnet BBC news, Singapore ranks as one of the worst countries of Asia in terms of the work life balance. The women in the country mostly end up with the decision of either having a family life or continuing with their work life. They maintain a stoic choice either the life of a mother and a caregiver or the life of a professional lady. The Singaporean governm ent has been encouraging the companies to employ more female employees within the organization as that has proven to be better for the growth of the businesses as well as supported the growth of the economy of the country. The younger generation of the country constitutes the employees who are keen to succeed in their work life and are ambitious in their life, but they do feel that it is difficult for them to start with their family life while they are employed in a place of work (Bbc.com, 2017). The work life balance among the employees may be achieved by promoting the flexibility in the working hours of the concerned job. The employers should promote the concept of working while being away from the work place. The employees should be allowed to work from a place of their own convenience whenever the concept may be applicable. The employees should be encouraged to utilize the time that they are allowed for their own vacation for the purposes of recovery from the stress that they experience at work. The organizations may thus help the employees to detach themselves from their work both psychologically and physically. The employees must be allowed to have breaks within their work day. The female employees of the organization should be allowed the leaves that they need due to maternity. They must also be granted leaves for parental as well the elderly care activities that they need to deliver at their residence. References Bbc.com. (2017).Asia tops global school rankings.BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2017, from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-32608772 Burg-Brown, S. (2013). Work-life balance.Journal Of Property Management,78(4), 48-54. Richmond, G. L., Rohlfing, C. M. (2013). Work-Life Balance. Rife, A., Hall, R. (2015). Work-Life Balance.SIOP White Paper Series.