Production of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil: A Guided Inquiry Chemistry Laboratory Activity at a Two-Year College

Teaching chemistry to nonscience majors is challenging because most students come to class with negative beliefs about chemistry. Those mindsets stem from their inaccurate prior knowledge of how chemistry relates to their daily lives. To address the issues and promote students' engagement in chemistry courses, we implemented ubiquitous biodiesel production through an inquiry-based approach in an introductory chemistry course. The activity employed a guided inquiry-based method to produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil in a social and cultural context, student-centered lab practice. The students visited the wastewater treatment plant to learn about sewer line backup due to illegal oil dumping, collected used cooking oil from restaurants or street vendors in their neighborhoods, and brainstormed the preparation of biodiesel. As a group, they researched experimental methods and their choice of chemicals and procedures. Upon consulting about their approach with the instructor, the students synthesized biodiesel from their oil and choice of chemicals. They reported their findings in the Science Writing Heuristic format. The student survey indicated that the guided inquiry-based activity was a great alternative to procedural chemistry lab activities because it enhanced the students learning experience. A group of students shared their learning experiences at local and regional conferences. Another anecdotal evidence was that three students changed their majors to environmental science after transferring to a 4-year college. In conclusion, when students are in charge of learning and have the authority to design lab activities as their learning experience progresses, they better appreciate chemical sciences and increase their conceptual understandings.