French fries may not be the best fuel for people, but a new project in British Columbia is turning used french fry grease into fuel for your vehicle.
The Vancouver-based Environmental Youth Alliance, a non-profit organization working on youth-driven projects for social and environmental sustainability, is collaborating with Dr. Naoko Ellis of the University of British Columbia to recycle french fry grease into biodiesel fuel. This fuel can be used on its own or blended with petroleum diesel.
"People have been very interested in what we're doing," said Karun Koernig, Manager of the Environmental Youth Alliance. "The idea of using a waste product for a fuel is very appealing."
You won't need to make major engine modifications to use the fuel and your engine will benefit from extra lubrication. At the same time, you'll be reducing harmful emissions, such as greenhouse gases. In addition, biodiesel is both biodegradable and non-toxic, so spills won't result in major environmental damage, and its high ignition temperature makes it safer to transport.
Since last fall, the Environmental Youth Alliance has been producing about 100 litres of biodiesel a week with their small-scale processing system. And every litre used reduces greenhouse gases by almost 80 per cent. A medium-scale processing system that will produce between 1,000 and 3,000 litres a week is nearing completion. That would potentially produce enough biodiesel to fuel the entire UBC maintenance fleet of diesels, including lawnmowers, snowplows and backhoes, with at least a 20 per cent blend.
But according to Koernig, the major attraction to potential users is the low cost. "People always want to know how they can get cheap fuel - that is how they get interested. Once they start asking questions about biodiesel fuel, we can start educating them about the impacts."
For the group, the ultimate goal is to design, build and test an affordable community-scale biodiesel processing facility that is financially self-sustainable and can supply fuel at a competitive rate.
Transport Canada is supporting this initiative with $50,000 from its Moving On Sustainable Transportation program, which is designed to help make sustainable transportation a reality.
Less idling saves money, helps the environment
Letting your engine idle for long periods isn't good for the engine, the environment or, if you're a fleet owner, your bottom line. And it isn't necessary either. Today's engines need no more than 30 seconds of idling, even in winter.
That's the message Vancouver's Better Environmentally Sound Transportation - or BEST - wants to get across to fleet-owning businesses and municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Regional District through the Idle-Free Workplaces project. BEST is a charitable organization specializing in sustainable transportation. Their main goal is to make communities healthier places to live by promoting sustainable transportation and land-use planning, as well as neighbourhoods that are oriented to pedestrians, cycling and public transit.
The Idle-Free Workplaces project is educating businesses and municipalities on the benefits of implementing an idle-free policy for their fleets. For example, every 10 minutes of idling costs at least one-tenth of a litre in wasted fuel. Over the course of a year, that adds up to about $100 for every light-weight vehicle in Canada.
According to David Hendrickson, Co-ordinator of the Idle-Free Workplace Campaign, these figures grab the attention of fleet managers. "We've been able to drop some jaws by explaining the costs associated with idling vehicles. The savings can be really significant."
The project also dispels myths that suggest engine idling is economical and good for engines, and shows clearly how idling costs money. Excessive idling can actually damage your engine's components. That's because an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, which means that fuel combustion is incomplete. The resulting fuel residues can contaminate oil and damage engine components. And with diesel engines, idling actually lowers the coolant temperature faster than shutting off the engine.
An idle-free policy can add to a company's bottom line by increasing fuel efficiency and reducing expenditures - some companies have achieved fuel efficiency gains of up to 19 per cent over a period of three months. It can also improve the corporate image: the program has a sticker recognition campaign to identify companies and organizations that are promoting the idle-free philosophy within their organizations.
Hendrickson says the sticker campaign is key to garnering attention for the issue.
"We're trying to make connections in people's minds between idling, air quality and cost-savings. Ideally, we're hoping that the message of being idle-free at work will carry over to employees' personal lives."
Transport Canada is helping this initiative with up to $26,000 from the Moving On Sustainable Transportation - or MOST - program, which is designed to help make sustainable transportation a reality. For more information, visit the MOST website.
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