Recycling Waste Oil into Biodiesel: “A Win-Win Situation”
In business, it’s not often that you’re presented with an opportunity that could be described as a positive-sum game. Adversarial by nature, business dealings tend to benefit one party while (knowingly or unknowingly) being detrimental to the other.
That is why the recent resurgence of biodiesel as a serious alternative fuel is so exciting for the restaurant industry. The unique economics of this burgeoning market allow food service establishments to recoup some of their investment in cooking oil while at the same time contributing to a greener planet.
Recycling waste oil, says Vice President of the National Restaurant Association Hudson Riehle, “really does hold long-term benefits, not only for the restaurant industry, but for the environment on a national basis.”
Although the process used to create biodiesel, known as the transesterification of vegetable oil, has been known since the mid-19th century, it was only in the latter part of the 20th century that farmers and fuel producers began developing the infrastructure necessary to make the widespread adoption of this alternative fuel economically viable.
Interestingly enough, Rudolf Diesel originally intended the engine that bears his name to run on environmentally-friendly fuel, powering his original prototypes with peanut oil, which is a biofuel (though not a biodiesel). It was only the cheap petrodiesel provided by the petroleum industry in its early users that convinced engine manufacturers to build their products around the much dirtier and more wasteful fossil fuel.
Today’s energy landscape is vastly different than it was in the 1920′s however, and the depletion of world oil resources combined with political manipulation of the international oil market have gradually made fossil fuels a less attractive power source. In response to climbing gas prices and uncertainty over the petroleum industry’s long-term sustainability, both government and private interests are starting to provide the incentives necessary for businesses to join the biodiesel production cycle at little or no cost.
While the environmental benefits to running full or partial biodiesel mixtures are well known – reductions in carbon monoxide, sulfur, and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as low-toxicity if spilled – the economic benefits have only recently become clear, thanks in large part to a more widespread public knowledge campaign.
For instance, biodiesel burns more efficiently than traditional diesel or gasoline; in fact, in its pure form, it has the highest energy rating of any alternative fuel product. It also contributes to engine maintenance, and can even reverse some of the build-up in fuel lines, according to a study conducted by the U.S. military.
Along with clear performance benefits over regular diesel fuel, the only factor keeping biodiesel from going mainstream has traditionally been the cost, which was once prohibitively expensive for powering fleets of vehicles. That situation is changing rapidly, however, with local refineries cropping up nationwide that are serving to drive down the price – which in turn is increasing the demand for energy-rich waste oil.
Savvy restaurateurs are taking advantage of this growing demand for the essential materials in biodiesel by leveraging a constant supply they produce of the main ingredient: used fryer oil.
What’s more, some businesses that both produce waste vegetable oil and need to operate one or more vehicles actually refine their own biodiesel in-house, which can then be used to fuel trucks or cars with modified engines.
According to the NRA’s Riehle, recycling used oil is “a win-win situation for both the restaurant operator, who now has another viable option for the disposal of old oil, as well as the general public, who benefit from energy conservation and energy source options.”
The best part is that waste oil recycling is only the start of what could soon be an ability to repurpose all of a restaurant’s used biomass, from grease to fats to oil, at no cost to the business, and perhaps, eventually leading to a small, regular return on investments in cooking supplies.
Since re-routing your bulk grease to a biodiesel refinery instead of the traditional disposal routes will both save you money and contribute to your business’ environmentally-friendly objectives, contacting your waste management firm should be on the top of your priority list. The analysts at your firm will have knowledge of your local market and be in the best position to route your bulk grease most efficiently.
This is one of those rare opportunities you have to make a positive impact on the environment while saving a little bit of money at the same time – and with little to no effort. Sometimes, being a good neighbor to your community pays you back in more ways than one.