Vegetable Oil as Diesel Fuel: Fries and a Fill-up

1. Vegetable Oil as Diesel Fuel: Fries and a Fill-up
While out for a walk in my neighborhood, I noticed an otherwise ordinary-looking pickup truck with a big sign
on the back that said ³This vehicle powered by 100% used vegetable oil.´ That¶s nice, I thought, very
environmentally conscious and all²as San Franciscans are known to be. I wondered briefly about the
technological issues involved in getting a truck to run on vegetable oil, information that surely would be
available a few clicks away on the Web. But I also wondered about maintaining a fuel supply. If you¶re on a trip
and the fuel gauge starts getting low, a gas station would presumably do you no good. Do you start looking for a
doughnut shop or a fast-food joint where you can score some used oil? Is there enough to go around? And will
it really end up being less expensive than conventional diesel fuel?
The first claim I discovered sounded too good to be true: diesel engines can, without modification, run on
vegetable oil²just like that. Now, I¶ll be the first to admit I know precious little about engines, but this
revelation puzzled me. If true, then why even bother with petroleum-based fuel in the first place? As it turns
out, that claim is only approximately true²some diesel engines can run on some kinds of vegetable oil under
some conditions without problems. (This trick doesn¶t work with gasoline engines, because the sparks produced
cannot ignite vegetable oil.) Still, the fact that this can happen at all seemed pretty amazing to me. It shouldn¶t
have: had I read about diesel engines more carefully when I was researching fire pistons, I would have learned
that the first diesel engines ran on peanut oil, and that Rudolf Diesel¶s original idea was that this would be a
perfect solution for areas with limited access to petroleum. Today, however, nearly all diesel engines are
designed to work with petroleum-based fuel, so running such engines on vegetable oil is not entirely
straightforward.
The Plot Thins
The first problem is one of viscosity: vegetable oil is a lot thicker than conventional diesel fuel. This means that
it has a harder time atomizing, which in turn reduces its ability to burn. One way to reduce the viscosity is to
mix it with ordinary diesel fuel, and most of the diesel engines used in cars and light trucks will run quite
happily on anywhere from 10% to 50% vegetable oil²poured right into the gas tank along with the diesel from
the pump. Another way to thin the vegetable oil is to heat it; heating is the primary function of conversion kits
you can buy to run your vehicle on vegetable oil.
But using pure vegetable oil is still problematic because the fuel sitting in your engine (and your fuel line) will
be cold when you initially start your car. (This is especially true, of course, in colder climates and during the
winter months.) One way of solving this problem is to use two fuel tanks²one for regular diesel and one for
vegetable oil. You start your engine with regular fuel, and as it warms up, the heat is used to thin the vegetable
oil. After a few minutes or so, you use a dashboard control to switch over to the vegetable oil tank. Dual-tank
systems also mean that a vehicle can, if necessary, refuel at a regular gas station. Another approach is to use a
special additive (which contains a small amount of petroleum); this enables the vegetable oil to flow more
easily, even when cold.
In most cases, you can outfit your existing vehicle with a second tank, heater system, switch, and other
necessary apparatus for well under US$1,000; if you go with the additive-based approach instead, you eliminate
your up-front costs in exchange for somewhat more expensive fuel. Either way, you¶ll save an enormous
amount of money on diesel fuel²assuming that you run your vehicle on used vegetable oil. Where I live, at
least, the least expensive vegetable oil you can purchase in an ordinary supermarket runs about $5 per gallon²
with usual prices being closer to $10. But some proponents of vegetable oil fuel claim that you¶ll never have to
buy fuel again, as long as you are willing and able to obtain used cooking oil from a restaurant or food
processing facility. Many restaurants are apparently happy to give away their used oil, because otherwise they¶d
have to pay to have it disposed of properly. (Even if you do have to pay for it, the cost would be a mere fraction
of what you¶d pay for diesel fuel.)

2. If you¶re using waste oil, you¶ll need to filter it first²which potentially involves setting up some equipment in
your garage and spending a bit of time doing the processing. The inconvenience of obtaining and filtering used
vegetable oil is one of the biggest reasons this process hasn¶t caught on more widely. But with gas prices rising
as they are, this extra step looks like an increasingly minor hassle. As for supply, according to one estimate I
read, the United States produces about 3 billion gallons (roughly 11 billion liters) per year of waste vegetable
oil, which should keep quite a few cars on the road.
The Gas Is Greener
Apart from cost, using vegetable oil as a fuel provides several other advantages. According to some sources, at
least, it¶s better for your engine, providing additional lubrication and reducing engine deposits. It¶s also less
likely to cause a fire or explosion in the case of an accident. Vegetable oil supposedly gives you equivalent fuel
efficiency to petroleum-based diesel fuel, which is to say, substantially more than gasoline. It also results in
lower emissions. Because the carbon dioxide produced by burning vegetable oil is less than the amount
absorbed by the plants from which the oil is obtained, vehicles running on vegetable oil produce no net increase
in atmospheric carbon dioxide. And, finally, vegetable oil fuel is indefinitely renewable.
Beyond straight vegetable oil is biodiesel, a fuel that is generally interchangeable with petroleum-based
diesel²even in unmodified vehicles²but is made by specially refining vegetable oil and other organic
materials. Commercial biodiesel is much more expensive than regular diesel, and though you can, in theory,
make it yourself, that¶s an expensive and potentially hazardous undertaking. And besides, it¶s just not as cool as
being able to say your car actually runs on used vegetable oil. I hope some day to see fast-food chains begin to
offer low-cost fill-ups with their meals. Drive through to pick up your burgers and fries, and then pull up to the
pump for some used oil. Imagine: there may be a benefit to all that deep-fried food after all.
See Plant Drive
http://plantdrive.com
VEGETABLE OIL Cars and Converting Your Car to VEGETABLE OIL
http://plantdrive.com
http://www.greasecar.com
http://www.vegpoweredsystems.com
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com
http://www.goodgrease.com
http://www.vegpower.com
http://www.elsbett.com
http://biocar.de
http://www.enviofuel.com
http://www.frybrid.com
http://www.vegiecars.com
http://www.theorganicmechanic.org
http://www.fattywagons.com
http://greasebenz.com
http://www.vtvegcar.com
http://www.vegengine.blogspot.com
http://www.greenconversion.net
http://www.alaskavegoil.org

3. http://www.ehow.com/how_2004136_vegetable-oil-fuel.html
http://www.vegdvw.com
http://www.greendiesel1.com
http://vegwerks.wordpress.com
http://www.vegiecars.com
http://vegetablepowersystems.com
http://danalinscott.netfirms.com
http://www.bebioenergy.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Biotour.org-Waste-Vegetable-Oil-Conversion-Diesel-/
DVD LIQUID GOLD 2
Learn the Do͛s and Don͛t's of Gathering and using Waste Vegetable oil as a fuel. Perfect for anyone who is currently
using, or planning on using SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) or Bio Diesel as a fuel!
These questions and more are answered on this DVD:
ͻ The legality of collecting waste vegetable oil and burning it as a fuel.
ͻ Overview of how diesel engines burn waste vegetable oil as fuel.
ͻ How to identify good waste vegetable oil.
ͻ How to identify bad waste vegetable oil.
ͻ How to ask a restaurant for their waste vegetable oil.
ͻ How to fuel up on the fly with the automated One Shot Filtration Unit.
ͻ How to setup your own waste vegetable oil accounts.
ͻ How to collect large quantities of oil for later filtration at home.
ͻ How to filter waste vegetable oil using filter bags.
ͻ How does salt, sugar and animal fats affect waste vegetable oil for fuel?
ͻ How to tell if there͛s water in the oil?
ͻ How to filter the oil once it͛s been gathered.
ͻ Cold Weather gathering techniques and tips.
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com
DVD S.V.O. Seminar 2006
Lately there's been a lot of talk about the effects of Global warming due to our love of gas guzzling vehicles and our

4. dependency on foreign oil. Scientists and entrepreneurs around the world are busy developing what they hope will be
our answer to cleaner burning vehicles. What many people don't realize is that this technology already exists and it's
been around for quite some time now.
This DVD was Shot during a seminar on Straight Vegetable Oil at Ecoversity in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is packed with
2.5 hours of valuable information. Listen along while many of the most frequently asked questions about this technology
are discussed and answered.
These questions and more are answered on this DVD:
ͻ The History of Straight Vegetable Oil
ͻ Different Alternative Fuels
ͻ Straight Vegetable vs. Biodiesel
ͻ Straight Vegetable Oil Facts and Fiction
ͻ Diesel Engines vs. Gasoline Engines
ͻ How a Straight Vegetable Oil System Works
ͻ The Importance of a Vehicles Air Filter
ͻ Increase Power and Economy/Computer Mods
ͻ Oil Gathering 101
ͻ Filtering on the Fly with the One Shot
ͻ Using Filter Bags
ͻ What to do with leftover Nasty Oil
ͻ Diesels Available in the USA
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com
DVD GREASY RIDER
Picture a cross-country road trip powered by vegetable oil in a 1981 Mercedes-Benz. Greasy Rider follows the two
filmmakers, Joey Carey and JJ Beck, as they meet with fellow Greasecar drivers, friends, and critics. Traveling as far south
as New Orleans and as far north as Seattle, the car is fueled by used cooking grease collected at restaurants along the
way.
Interviews include Morgan Freeman who is opening up a Biodiesel plant in Mississippi. Political analyst Noam Chomsky,
͞You're supposed to believe we would have liberated Iraq even if its main product was pickles,͟ appears along side Yoko
Ono, ͞This whole world is now ruled by corporations and their greed,͟ and Tommy Chong, ͞You guys figured it out. You
got your little bio-car, and there you go.͟ Additional interviews include the founders of the four major vegetable oil
conversion kit companies, Greasecar, Greasel, Neoteric, and Frybrid, as they discuss the reality of vegetable oil as a fuel.
The heat is felt in this political documentary as America's energy consumption continues to grow. With gas prices on the
rise and the reality of global warming setting in, Greasy Rider points to vegetable oil as one part of the solution to our
energy problems.
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com

5. JOURNEY to FOREVER
http://www.journeytoforever.org
The Film: FUEL
http://thefuelfilm.com
FUEL is an insightful portrait of America͛s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy
solutions. Director, Josh Tickell, a young activist, shuttles us on a whirlwind journey to track the rising domination of the
petrochemical industry Ͷ from Rockefeller͛s strategy to halt Ford͛s first ethanol cars to Vice President Cheney's
petrochemical company sponsored energy legislation Ͷ and reveals a gamut of available solutions to "repower
America" Ͷ from vertical farms that occupy skyscrapers to algae facilities that turn wastewater into fuel.
Tickell and a surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America͛s
complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized,
sustainable living is not only possible, it͛s imperative.
DVD : Biodiesel #2
Filmed at the National Biodiesel Board Conference and Expo in Palm Springs, CA, this 45 minute video helps qualify the
emissions benefits of biodiesel and illustrates how biodiesel can reduce cancerous diesel emissions.
http://fryertofuel.com
DVD: Biodiesel 101
In this 45-minute presentation, biodiesel author Josh Tickell provides an economic, social and practical context for
biodiesel. "Biodiesel 101" goes deep into the technical world of the biodiesel production, showing how the fuel is
chemically formed. This video also examines current data and trends within the biodiesel industry to illustrate growth
patterns and future potential.
http://fryertofuel.com
Convert GAS Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos
http://www.electroauto.com http://www.kta-ev.com http://www.nedra.com http://www.evparts.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
book: Convert It; by Michael Brown and Shari Prange
DVD: Convert It http://www.electroauto.com
`

6. Convert HYBRID Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos
http://www.calcars.org http://www.hybrids-plus.com http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm http://www.eaa-
phev.org/wiki/PriusPlus http://www.hybridplugs.com http://www.hybridconceptcars.com
http://www.afstrinity.com http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion http://www.hybridconsortium.org
http://www.energycs.com
LOCAL Groups Supporting ELECTRIC AUTOmobiles
http://www.nicecarcompany.co.uk http://www.greenvehicles.com
http://www.zapworld.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
http://www.green-car-guide.com
Electric MOTORCYCLES
http://www.solarmobil.net
http://www.e-max-ltd.com
http://www.topmotorx.com
http://www.patente-erfindungen.de/erfindungen_fahrraeder.htm
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
Electric BICYCLES
http://nycewheels.com
http://www.myebike.com
http://www.cyclone-tw.com
http://www.powacycle.co.uk
http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk
http://egovehicles.com
http://www.electricbicycle.com.au
http://www.evehicle.com.au
http://www.electric-bicycle.cn
http://www.greenspeed.us
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
TAX CREDITS
http://www.dsireusa.org
HOME POWER
http://www.homepower.com
SOLAR TODAY
http://solartoday.org
Solar Industry NEWS
http://www.seia.org
http://www.solarbuzz.com

7. Solar Industry MAGAZINE
http://www.solarindustrymag.com
Recharge your Electric Auto with RENEWABLE ENERGY
http://www.bergey.com http://www.bwea.com http://www.vestas.com http://www.awea.com
http://solarenergy.org http://greendragonenergy.co.uk http://www.lowimpact.org
http://www.scoraigwind.com http://www.greenempowerment.org http://www.grupofenix.org
http://www.solarliving.org http://www.arthaonline.com http://www.the-mrea.org http://www.txses.org
http://www.irenew.org http://www.nmsea.org http://www.azsolarcenter.com
http://www.microhydropower.com http://www.newenergycorp.ca http://www.canyonhydro.com
http://wattsun.com http://www.lorentz.de http://www.etsolar.de
http://www.solargenix.com http://solar.sharpusa.com http://solren.com http://www.spirecorp.com
http://www.windpower.org
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
http://www.i2p.org
http://www.ises.org http://www.firstsolar.com
http://www.rmi.org
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
Do not bend over and allow Big Oil to molest your Family, Friends and Community
VOTE SOLAR
VOTE SOLAR
http://votesolar.org
http://www.seia.org
http://www.blackboxvoting.org
http://valparaiso.indymedia.org/news/2006/09/8723.php
DVD: Uncounted; Director: David Earnhardt
DVD: Hacking Democracy; Director: Simon Ardizzone
book: What Went Wrong In Ohio; by Congressman John Conyers
book: What Happened in Ohio; by Bob Fitrakis
IS YOUR CONGRESSMAN IN BED with BIG OIL?
How much bribes (campaign contributions) did your congressman take from the sleazy OIL Companies?
CAMPAIGN FINANCE INFORMATION CENTER
Where does the money come from?
http://www.campaignfinance.org/states
CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY
stop the Fat Cats from BRIBING your politicians
http://www.publicintegrity.org

8. POLLUTION and RACISM, INJUSTICE
book: Confronting Environmental Racism; by Robert Bullard
book: Environmental Injustices; by David Camacho
book: Environmentalism and Economic Justice; by Laura Pulido
book: Pollution and the Death of Man; by Francis Schaeffer
book: From the Ground Up, Environmental Racism; by Luke Cole
book: Struggle for Ecological Democracy; by Daniel Faber
book: No Safe Place, Toxic Waste and Community Action; by Phil Brown
FREE eBook on Oil Spills: Not One Drop
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31483843/Not-One-Drop
Big Oil¶s Dirty Secrets
http://bigoil101.insanejournal.com