Biodiesel a cleaner fuel
The oil that is used to fry your French fries can fuel your diesel engine car or truck, and it pollutes less than diesel.
It's called biodiesel - as feedstock it uses vegetable oil -- and when it is burned in a diesel engine it emits less unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and harmful particles than emissions from diesel fuel.
Biodiesel can be produced from any kind of plant oil, including soybean, palm, coconut or olive oil. Or even waste vegetable oil that is leftover from restaurants' deep fryers.
Although it releases carbon dioxide when burned, biodiesel is considered carbon neutral because plants that provide the oil also take carbon dioxide out of the air to make carbohydrates and oxygen.
As gasoline and diesel prices go up, biodiesel has become more cost competitive. Processing requires removing glycerin from the oil and can be done with a minimum amount of equipment.
Houston Biodiesel sells the fuel and offers classes on homebrewing biodiesel. The new location for Houston Biodiesel at 723 North Drennan Street even accommodates 18-wheelers.