Not many people know this but Rudolf Diesel originally designed his engine to run off peanut oil. But then the Germans (maybe) killed him because he refused to let them use his engines to power their submarines.
Now that the earth is heating up and the tides are rising, a few admirable people are getting innovative with their engines. All across the world self-taught mechanics are converting their diesel vehicles to run off used vegetable oil that they collect from cafes and fish and chip shops.
This is a million ideological miles away from Bush and his biofuel revolution, which many environmental experts such as George Monbiot have warned will cause many more problems than it solves (see http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/06/worse-than-fossil-fuel/). No, these enterprising souls are taking a waste product that would have only gone into landfill and using it to power their vehicles.
The emissions are significantly lower than normal diesel and the smell is better. We talked to Tara Prowse from an Australian arts organisation called Trax (www.trax.org) who gave us a step by step breakdown of how to convert your own car to run off veggie oil. Be careful if you’re reading this in the UK though. Running your car off veggie oil is viewed by the UK authorities as fuel tax evasion and can land you a stint in jail. Read on:
Steps...
Step 1: seek veggie oil. We have always used RECYCLED veggie oil rather than the new stuff. This means oil that is already considered by most to be a waste product (it’s already cooked the fish & chips and is on its way to landfill or to become lipstick).
Local chippies or cafes are good, but Chinese restaurants are the best bet because they generally use canola or other vegetable based oil rather than your chippie who are most likely to use pig fat!! Arrgh! Will clog arteries AND fuel lines, beware.
Step 2: filter it! Pour the oil through a catering filter (available at any good restaurant supply shop) to get rid of the random dross, such as cigarette butts, left over chips, gristle and (yes true story) bits of old tights. If catering filters are not forthcoming, use an old sock. Or two. Or maybe three.
Step 3: Convert your vehicle! It must be a diesel. Preferably have an indirect injection engine (i.e. the injectors are poking out your engine block at an angle) and an inline injection pump (consult mechanic for 30 seconds).
Turbo diesels are even better, as they mix more fuel with air to make more efficient little tiny explosions which move the bits that make your car go. Research your vehicle online first before assuming you can convert it. You will likely find a story online about someone who has converted your type of vehicle and their results. When running veggie oil, unless you are in sub tropical temperatures and don’t mind your car breaking down on you, you will always start and end your journey on diesel, to keep the injectors flushed through.
What you need for the conversion...
Parts:
Second fuel tank, in-line electric heater, fuel filter that is below 10 microns (i.e. stops teeny weeny bits from going through), fuel hose, an electric (solenoid) switch and a fistful of hose clamps.
For the veggie oil to fire in the same way as diesel does, you need to decrease its viscosity, or thickness. Basically this means you need to heat it up! There are different methods and we have probably tried them all at some point, but we now swear by this electric in-line heater, a bit like a kettle element, that roasts the veggie oil as it passes through on its way to the engine. (see http://www.independentbiofuels.com/components/VEGTHERM.php ) This way you ensure the oil gets to about 75oC before it fires in the engine, otherwise you get problems with coking, blow smoke and generally make enemies.
Filter and unit
You then mount a switch on your dash board, which when flicked, sends a signal to the solenoid (another switch with the fuel lines going through it, a bit like traffic lights) to send either veggie oil or Diesel to the engine.
Before it hits the engine block, the veggie oil passes through that second filter that makes extra sure that the oil is clean, in case you missed some bits when pre-filtering.
Ta Da! You should now be running on recycled dim sims!
For more information on converting your vehicle, check out these links:
http://www.veggievan.org/biodiesel/#Technical%20Biodiesel
www.cityofseattle.net/cleancities
www.usda.gov/rus/electric/renewables
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