This is a a sample of unwashed Biodiesel provided by Group 1: Batch Optimization of Biodiesel. THANKS A BUNCH!

This is our variable speed motor and Pobielniak Unit. The motor provides the power required to spin the Pod and create the centrifugal force that drives separation of the liquid phases.

The above series of photos shows that the two phases, biodiesel and water do mix, and begin to separate naturally, but the final separation of the yellowish emulsion layer usually takes about a week or better.

In the above picture on the left you can see the result of our first trial extraction. We did get two distict phases; the heavy phase has the color and consistency of eggnog, and the light phase (seen in the smaller container) is a forest green oily liquid. After letting the two samples sit for two days, we noticed that there was some separation in both, leading us to believe that the Podbielniak alone cannot break down the emulsion formed when the biodiesel and water are well mixed.

The picture on the right displays our first attempts at adding salt to the 'eggnog' emulsion. To 6 mL of the heavy phase emulsion, we added a small amount of salt and shook the samples. Within seconds, the emulsion broke down into the two layers that can be seen in the photos. The three salts used were Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Calcium Chloride (CaCl), and Potassium Iodide (KI). We still have to test to see if the salt will distribute into the biodiesel phase, so don't try this at home...yet.