Biodiesel made from soybeans is a clean fuel for many gas tanks, including the buses that haul kids to school. Now those same children hauled by the green fuel can also get a lesson in chemistry from it. The Indiana Soybean Alliance is offering a Soy Biodiesel Chemistry Kit, touted as a valuable educational science lab for high school students, free of charge to teachers in Indiana and just $225 to out-of-state teachers:
Developed by Purdue University researchers and public school teachers, the kit is an engaging way to apply the basic skills and principles of chemistry. It’s also useful for showing high schoolers real-world chemistry applications and the growing importance of the alternative fuel industry, which is primarily derived from renewable natural resources like soybean oil.
“The lessons offered in the kit are aligned with the National Science Education Standards, and we think that it is an important component to encourage teachers to incorporate these lessons into their classrooms,” said Don Wyss, chairman of ISA’s biofuels committee and a farmer from Ossian, Ind.
The kits have enough supplies for 20 students working in pairs to perform each of each of the six hands-on exercises and experiments. More information is available here.