DESPITE EXISTING FOR 80 YEARS, BIODIESEL HAS STILL SEEN ITS LIMITED USE AS A TRANSPORTATION FUEL BECAUSE IT IS NOT COMPETITIVE WITH PETROLEUM DIESEL IN THE MARKETPLACE. ONE OF THE MAJOR BARRIERS TO THE PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL IS THE HIGH COST AND LOW EFFICIENCY IN THE CURRENT CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY. THEREFORE, THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS INVESTIGATION IS TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL REVENUE AND REDUCE OUR CONSUMPTION ON FOSSIL-BASED BIODIESEL AND THE ASSOCIATED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY DEVELOPING A NOVEL/TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE BIODIESEL CONTINUOUSLY AND EFFICIENTLY FROM BOTH VIRGIN AND WASTED OILS SUCH AS USED COOKING OILS AND ANIMAL FATS. SUCH TECHNOLOGIES WILL CATAPULT THE US TO A LEADING POSITION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD, IMPROVE THE OVERALL US AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY, AND STRENGTHEN NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO 1) VERIFY THE PLASMA DISCHARGE OCCURRING IN THE REACTION ZONE OF THE PLASMA REACTOR DESIGNED BY THE PD AND POWERED BY AN INEXPENSIVE AND SMALL AC POWER SUPPLY DURING BIODIESEL SYNTHESIS; AND 2) FULLY EVALUATE THE LIQUID PLASMA REACTOR DESIGN AND DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL VALUE OF IMPORTANT PROCESSING PARAMETERS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF HIGH-QUALITY BIODIESEL FROM SOYBEAN OIL. THE PROPOSED PROJECT ADDRESSES THE PROGRAM AREA PRIORITIES (A1531), "ENGINEER NEW OR IMPROVED PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES THAT MAKE USE OF MATERIALS FROM AGRICULTURAL ORIGIN." THE OUTCOME OF THIS SEED PROJECT WILL EQUIP THE PD WITH THE NECESSARY INFORMATION FOR PURSUING LARGE AFRI GRANTS TO CONTINUE RESEARCH IN THIS PARTICULAR FIELD.