In the fall of 2014, the team built a 1-gallon biodiesel reactor to gain hands-on experience with biofuels. The reactor was made from a plastic vessel with two spouts. The two spouts allowed the team to separate oil from glycerol. The reactor was stirred using an electric drill and was heated using a crock-pot water bath. Many of the other parts for the reactor were made by hand.

After successfully constructing the reactor, the team collected waste vegetable oil from the community. Test batches were run in the reactor, but stirring was too vigorous and emulsified the biodiesel in the glycerol. The reactor was successful in teaching the team about biodiesel generation and giving members an introduction to the steps and challenges involved in generating biofuels. The team plans to revisit the biodiesel reactor in the near future and will complete a more thorough demonstration unit.