Burning waste cooking oil

[Pat McCotter]

I just stopped at the Rymes station in Loudon this morning and filled up with biodiesel. They have B20 and it is $2.409/gallon. Diesel here in Concord was $2.559/gallon last time I looked.

Rymes biodiesel page

Just sent an e-mail requesting B100 availability/location.

Cheers!
Pat

PS: I don't have the veg oil system installed yet.

[Mark]

Regarding production/sale
- Making your own fuel for off-road use is no problem, but if you're making it for on-road use you need to pay a tax to the state.
- The testing that is likely to be required by distributors is expensive.
- Within a few years, you will be competing against global fuel suppliers
- Collection at the scale you would need for a successful commercial venture would be difficult. Every time you move it, you add cost to your product, so you'd have to have a pretty efficient collection system.
- In addition to competing against fuel dealers, you'll be facing competition from large-scale grease collectors/rendering operations.

1) pay a tax? hahahahahaha ..... that is part of the fun.
If we are using it ourselves and selling privately we can sell to people who trust us.
2)This technology is not new it is just largely ignored.
3)That is why this will be a small scale organization.
4)What do the big grease collectors do?

1) True, but if you're going to run an illegal business I hear there's better profit in crack. The road tax is only for on-road use, obviously, so the suggestion to sell for tractors, generators, etc. would work.   
2). Not anymore -- between political instability, uncertain supply, etc., the big companies are taking a hard look at alternatives. I expect bio-diesel will be a baby step that most of them take at some point.
3). I was under the impression that you were looking at this as a business. I believe that by the time you source, collect, transport, store, convert, test, store, sell, transport again, and deal with wastes,  you'll be looking at a fuel that is significantly more expensive than diesel.
4). They have well-established networks, dedicated collection systems, technology to convert the grease into useful products, and markets for those products. These guys will still want the grease, and will be joined in the market by many grease-to-biodiesel ventures.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it -- I know dozens of Davids who have eaten the lunches of their respective industry's Goliaths. I'm just pointing out some things you'll want to think about.

[Mark]

I just stopped at the Rymes station in Loudon this morning and filled up with biodiesel. They have B20 and it is $2.409/gallon. Diesel here in Concord was $2.559/gallon last time I looked.

Rymes biodiesel page

Just sent an e-mail requesting B100 availability/location.

Cheers!
Pat

PS: I don't have the veg oil system installed yet.

That's great news re: the pricing. The company has been selling bio for over a year now, and for a while the B20 was significantly more than the diesel. If you have any trouble finding B100, I can probably help. As it gets colder, though, you'll either need to use a lower blend or use an additive.

[Pat McCotter]

I had lunch yesterday at a small place here in town. Talked to the owner about the veg oil system. He said a guy from Maine came in one day and asked about taking the oil for free. The owner says, "No! Why should I give it for free when he will be making money on it."

This is the first time I've heard a restaurant owner saying this. Could be because of the fuel prices.

Pat

[Russell Kanning]

1) True, but if you're going to run an illegal business I hear there's better profit in crack.? ?
2). Not anymore -- between political instability, uncertain supply, etc., the big companies are taking a hard look at alternatives.
3). I was under the impression that you were looking at this as a business.
4). They have well-established networks

1 Everything I do is somehow illegal ....... I like reusing oil ..... I don't like crack ..... maybe beer for 19 year olds
2 That is true all the time.
3 1st for our own individual uses then go from there.
4 some advantages we will have are small local systems, low/no overhead, no government red tape and few/no taxes

[Russell Kanning]

I had lunch yesterday at a small place here in town. Talked to the owner about the veg oil system. He said a guy from Maine came in one day and asked about taking the oil for free. The owner says, "No! Why should I give it for free when he will be making money on it."

This is the first time I've heard a restaurant owner saying this. Could be because of the fuel prices.

Pat

Is the guy paying or getting paid for it to disappear?

[Pat McCotter]

That's great news re: the pricing. The company has been selling bio for over a year now, and for a while the B20 was significantly more than the diesel. If you have any trouble finding B100, I can probably help. As it gets colder, though, you'll either need to use a lower blend or use an additive.

Hi Mark,
I will be using veg oil this winter, hopefully before the winter gets here. I ran it in an 85 Mercedes wagon last year. I put 8000 miles on veg oil before an accident totalled the car.

Also, to let everyone know, diesel winter additives will not work for biodiesel. You must use a biodiesel specific additive for cold weather.

Pat

[Pat McCotter]

Is the guy paying or getting paid for it to disappear?

He is paying. But he is also a rampant capitalist. He is constantly looking for ways to lower his costs at the restaurant and keep his quality high.

[Russell Kanning]

That's great news re: the pricing. The company has been selling bio for over a year now, and for a while the B20 was significantly more than the diesel.

BTW I started this discussion because some of us have talked about this subject in person and I wanted to let more people know about it and get more ideas like yours.
I am just ready to start doing something about it and some of us might be able to join forces or buy/sell amongst ourselves.

[Mark]

1) True, but if you're going to run an illegal business I hear there's better profit in crack.   
2). Not anymore -- between political instability, uncertain supply, etc., the big companies are taking a hard look at alternatives.
3). I was under the impression that you were looking at this as a business.
4). They have well-established networks

1 Everything I do is somehow illegal ....... I like reusing oil ..... I don't like crack ..... maybe beer for 19 year olds
2 That is true all the time.
3 1st for our own individual uses then go from there.
4 some advantages we will have are small local systems, low/no overhead, no government red tape and few/no taxes

Russel, I like your optimism and wish you the best. There's a growing network of folks in the state with an interest in biodiesel, so if you need help on specific issues, let me know -- I probably know someone who knows someone whose cousin tried it.

[Russell Kanning]

Is the guy paying or getting paid for it to disappear?

He is paying. But he is also a rampant capitalist. He is constantly looking for ways to lower his costs at the restaurant and keep his quality high.

So right now if you took some of it off his hands for free ...... he would be lowering his costs
..... and if you don't make a mess ..........keeping his quality high

[Pat McCotter]

Yes. But I've got other sources where I can get it for free and not a lot of work. One is a seasonal restaurant (Summer Freeze) and one will be saving NH taxpayers some money (State House cafeteria).

[Mark]

Yes. But I've got other sources where I can get it for free and not a lot of work. One is a seasonal restaurant (Summer Freeze) and one will be saving NH taxpayers some money (State House cafeteria).

Pat,

Are you using plain oil, or converting to bio-diesel? If it's just oil, what are you doing to filter it? I met a guy a while back who put a steel tank in the back of a big diesel SUV. He'd pull up to a restaurant and suck out grease from the top of their storage tank. I think it gets filtered as it sits in the tank, and again as it's pumped. He runs the SUV and an old Mercedes with it. Pretty neat setup. He did very few mods other than the tank -- a toilet paper filter and a fuel line heater, from what I remember.

[Russell Kanning]

I probably know someone who knows someone whose cousin tried it.

exactly 

[Pat McCotter]

I take the oil home, let it settle, then filter the non-gelled oil from the top into another container. I pump this into a heated tank in the trunk. I have a kit from greasecar.com

I don't do long distance driving - yet - so I don't need an onboard filter system.