Waste Vegetable Oil

Biodiesel is a type of fuel that is based on a combination of vegetable oil and alcohol and replaces fossil fuel diesel. It can fully power the engine (in this case it is called B100) or be used as an additive (B20 for 20% biodiesel). As an additive it can be used in all types of vehicles; in the case of B100, it would require vehicles that were manufactured from 1994 onwards.

Biodiesel can also be made at home using waste vegetable oil (WVO). Some people call it raw vegetable oil. To run a vehicle on waste vegetable oil the owner may want to convert it by adding a second fuel tank. You’d also need to install extra heated fuel filters, switches and heated lines, according to a website dedicated to waste vegetable oil enthusiasts, usedwastevegetableoil.com.

What this conversion will do, the website explains, is to allow the car owner to start the vehicle on diesel fuel and when the used or waste vegetable oil heats up, flip a switch. The engine will then run on 100% used waste vegetable oil.

Those who don’t want to spend money on a conversion can opt to run the vehicle on a waste vegetable oil fuel mix. The latter is mixed with diesel or kerosene as well as fuel additives such as Diesel Kleen and fuel stabilizers. Usedwastevegetableoil.com explains that the ratio of waste vegetable fuel to kerosene or diesel depends on the weather conditions and the type of diesel vehicle you run. As a rule, the colder it gets, the higher ratio of diesel or kerosene necessary to allow the engine to start. One of the advantages of using biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil is that it produces less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional diesel. Another advantage is that it is cheaper. While petrol prices continue to rise, you’re likely to be paying $1 per gallon of waste vegetable oil fuel.