Cheltenham College is one of only 3 schools nationally to have secured sponsorship of a GreenFuels 'FuelPod2', with pupils embarking upon the production of their own biodiesel for the first time ever. 8 pupils are involved in the hugely exciting project and have already successfully filled the first College vehicles direct from the kitchens’ waste cooking oil!    

Over the past term, College pupils have been running the Biodiesel plant which is now reaching full production. While sourcing fuel direct from crops can reduce the land area available for food production, College pupils are only sourcing used cooking oil from the kitchens and local food outlets. All equipment and materials to date have been sourced from both industrial sponsorship from GreenFuels Ltd and the Royal Academy of Engineering as well as through the Ingenious Grant Scheme via the education provider consultancy 'By Design Group Ltd'. 

The Biodiesel team began their training earlier this term with the manufacturers of the Fuel Pod talking on the global shortage of appropriate fuels and showing how the plant operates. They also received advice on business skills, such as costing additional chemicals and marketing the end product. Under the supervision and guidance of Mr Hughes-Games and Mr Gibson, biodiesel production now takes place weekly with the pupils making sure to add all the right chemicals. It takes some eight hours to produce fifty litres of top grade fuel - enough to fill about half a tank in a College minibus.

Indeed the savvy pupils have also donned their business hats as well as their green ones. They have negotiated a deal with the College Bursar who has agreed to purchase limited quantities of the fuel to fill up certain College vehicles. All proceeds will go to the College Rainforest Fund, with the eventual aim being to offset the College carbon debt. We wish them luck!

“The whole experience has been a real eye opener. Before, I had simply dismissed the stories of such fuel being made as somewhat far fetched, but the end product actually works extremely well! The fuel we have been producing is of the highest quality which has enabled us to run school vehicles off it. Thankfully we have a few A level Chemists in the group (myself being one of them!) to make sure the titration (where we work out how many chemicals to add in) runs smoothly…  We plan to invest the money earned from selling our fuel into the Rainforest Fund which we hope to supplement through the sale of products such as ‘Bio Fuel Soap’, made from elements of the process… Watch this space!” 

Richard Hine, Lower 6th pupil