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Grease, The Cheap and Satisfying Way to Go |
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by Darrin Drda
Email: d_drda (nospam) hotmail.com (verified) |
29 Nov 2005
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Alas, mobility comes at a very high price. But what if someone told you that it’s possible to run your car on a renewable resource that produces no environmentally destructive emissions, doesn’t fuel wars, and costs virtually nothing? |
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"The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time."
– Rudolph Diesel, 1912
THE HIGH COST OF COMBUSTION
Cops and Driver’s Ed teachers like to make the point that driving is a privilege. Anybody who owns a motor vehicle knows all too well that it can also be a royal pain in the assets. Over the summer, Americans saw historically high prices at the pump, due in part to price gouging, as well as a dramatic decrease in refinery capacity caused by hurricane Katrina. Although gas prices have dropped in recent weeks, the unfortunate truth is that they’re bound to increase in the long run, as the human racecar inevitably runs out of its favorite non-renewable resource.
Speaking of stormy weather, you don’t need to be a meteorologist to know which way the wind blows when it comes to global warming. This seasons’s record high number of hurricanes gives further confirmation to the notion – now accepted by even the most shortsighted pundits and politicians – that we’re beginning to stew in our own juices, largely because of our dependence upon (dare I say addiction to) fossil fuels, with their ozone-depleting emissions.
Then there’s the war in Iraq, and perhaps other oil-rich regions where lives are being lost in efforts to secure control over the planet’s dwindling reserves of crude.
Alas, mobility comes at a very high price. But what if someone told you that it’s possible to run your car on a renewable resource that produces no environmentally destructive emissions, doesn’t fuel wars, and costs virtually nothing?
VEGETABLE OIL AS FUEL
Every diesel engine is capable of running on vegetable oil. Indeed, the very first diesel engine, showcased at the 1900 World’s Exhibition in Paris, was powered by peanut oil, a fact that seems to have been forgotten by history and ignored – perhaps systematically – by the auto and oil industries. Surprisingly, veggie oil has roughly the same fuel efficiency (mpg) as diesel fuel, with none of the harmful emissions. Even the smell of burning vegetable oil – something akin to unbuttered popcorn – is far more pleasant than the noxious blue-white clouds of smoke produced by diesel.
For clarity’s sake, it must be noted that vegetable oil is different from biodiesel, which is made by combining vegetable oil with lye and methanol. Biodiesel is relatively popular among alternative fuels, especially in Europe (particularly Germany) and the American Northwest (particularly Oregon and northern California), where many gas stations have biodiesel pumps. It’s sold in different grades, from B100 (100% biodiesel) down to B20 (1 part biodiesel to 4 parts "regular" diesel, aka "dino-diesel") and sometimes weaker concentrations. This article deals with running a vehicle on straight vegetable oil, or SVO.
THE CONVERSION PROCESS
Before you go pouring Crisco into your tank, there are a few things to consider. First, as you may have surmised, your car has to be a diesel. Even among diesel cars and trucks, there are certain makes and models with engines better suited to run on SVO (VWs are popular candidates, as are Mercedes), while others may even be problematic (certain Cummins truck engines). As is usually the case, a little research goes a long way.
Another chief consideration is the fact that vegetable oil has a higher viscosity than diesel fuel, and therefore must be warmed up in order to thin it out. This is usually accomplished through the addition of a second fuel tank featuring a heating coil or similar device. There are a growing number of websites devoted to SVO, such as the dot-coms Greasel, Greasecar, Frybrid and PlantDrive, each selling their own version of a conversion kit, along with related accessories like temperature gauges and specialized fuel filters. Apparently there do exist a few one-tank renegades living in warm climates who run veggie without conversion, but this is not recommended in general, and is simply not possible in colder climates.
Finally, there’s the obvious fact that your quart of Crisco (and fresh vegetable oil in general) is expensive, considerably moreso than diesel fuel. Thus we turn to used oil, known to many as grease and to some as free fuel.
GREASE COLLECTION AND FILTERING
Restaurants with fryers have to get rid of their used oil somehow, usually working out a deal with a local waste disposal company. Normally the grease is dumped by the kitchen staff into a big, metal "grease trap" in the back of the restaurant, out of sight of the customer happily munching on her French fries. What is typically shunned as a smelly and disgusting waste bin can be seen as a veritable treasure trove to the seeker of "liquid gold".
Of course, most used grease is far from golden. It’s usually quite dark in color, often containing visible bits of fries, breading, and other crud, and needs to be thoroughly filtered before it can be used as fuel. A few of the aforementioned online companies sell cloth bags designed to filter grease down to the requisite 5 microns, and also include a heavy-duty fuel filter to be installed during conversion. Additionally, the grease must be free of water, which can ruin a car’s injection pump in short order.
Fortunately, certain innovative members of the "greaser" community have started marketing their own collection and filtering devices that make the normally unsavory process fairly convenient. One such product, known as "The GreaseBeast", features an electric pump which, when connected to the car battery, sucks the grease through a series of hoses and filters, directly from the trap to the tank. In this way, re-fueling at a roadside diner can be nearly as efficient as a stop at Mobil or Shell.
FINDING A GOOD SOURCE OF OIL
As you might suspect, not all grease is created equal. The least desirable oil contains animal fat, which, like hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated veggie oil, solidifies at lower temperatures and requires more heating. As it turns out, the type of oil best for combustion is also best for human consumption: non-hydrogenated, higher grade oils like soy and canola, with a minimum of preservatives and additives. Experience has also taught me that the better oils tend to come, perhaps not surprisingly, from the better restaurants, which also typically dispose of their waste oil more efficiently than greasy spoons and fast food joints.
It’s fairly simple to assess the quality of a given batch of grease. If it smells rancid, or has a foamy residue on top, it’s best left alone. If a quick stir with a stick reveals whitish swirls, it’s likely hydrogenated oil, which may be OK if the heavier, creamier parts have settled thoroughly. The best oil will be about the color and consistency of (real) maple syrup. Another reliable way to determine the quality of grease is to talk to the restaurant manager. It’s always best to ask before taking used oil, and those willing to give it away are usually willing to reveal (or find out) what kind of oil the restaurant uses, whether derived from safflower, corn, or whatever. Finding a reliable source of quality oil can be tricky, but the effort is well worth it.
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Apart from investments of time and energy, converting to veggie has, of course, cost me money that will take a bit of time recoup. The conversion kit I bought this summer set me back roughly $800, although thankfully my mechanically-minded brother helped me avoid the usual installation costs. I dropped another $250 on a GreaseBeast filter kit, with the intention of taking road trips, including an eventual veggie-powered musical tour.
As winter sets in, I’m looking into buying an extra heater for the veggie tank, as the current method of heating the oil using a diverted coolant line may not cut the mustard in sub-freezing temperatures. The way it works is that the engine is started up on diesel fuel from the original tank, enabling me to drive while the hot coolant warms the grease in the second tank to a viscous160oF or so, at which point I can switch over to veggie. In the heat of summer, this process takes only a few minutes, whereas in the dead of winter, without a secondary heat source, it takes much longer than a cross-town drive.
So, unfortunately, I am still buying gas, albeit in far smaller quantities than the average American, and still emitting those nasty blue-white clouds of smoke now and again. Moreover, I’m still driving a car; a large and dangerous machine that inevitably requires repair and maintenance, not to mention periodic insurance and registration costs, tickets and tows (paying out the nose for that privilege!).
All things considered, though, I’m very glad I made the conversion. Driving my 1979 Mercedes on free fuel, I can’t help but feel like I’m really getting away with something. Using a recycled, renewable resource, I hope I’m playing a small role in saving the earth. In some ways, on some days, driving on veggie oil even feels like a subversive and revolutionary act. It’s almost as satisfying as riding a bike. |
See also:
http://www.darrindrda.org
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