Next time you pop out for some chips, you might like to ask if they have any old oil. Members of the Bio-Power Network are doing just that ñ recycling old vegetable oil to fuel vehicles. It is probably the cheapest fuel available.

Drivers in South Wales made headlines last year by running their cars on cooking oil. One Asda store was puzzled by the sudden rise in sales. At 42p per litre it was far cheaper than diesel and environmentally friendly too.
Unfortunately it is illegal unless you pay duty and some drivers were stopped by police, who were said to have noticed the chip shop smell. Their cars were towed away and they were fined £500.

However, this clamp down hasn’t put everyone off. After all, driving around on vegetable oil is reducing the amount of pollution in the atmosphere. The gases emitted are 90 per cent cleaner than fossil fuel emissions. Biofuels have been used in Germany for 20 years and farmers in Germany, France and the US are turning to this alternative crop.

Biodiesel use has soared in the US since it passed the Clean Air Tests in 2000 with bus and truck fleets turning to this clean and cheap fuel, but they have been slow to take off in the UK. One man has discovered an even greener way of doing it. Instead of growing rape seed specially, he is recycling what would otherwise be a waste product.

John Nicholson discovered his car would run on cooking oil during the fuel blockade in 2000. In fact, it actually performed better. He decided to find a way of making it more readily available for others and discovered that it is legal, providing you pay the Customs and Excise duty. He also found that there was a readily available free supply of old vegetable oil from restaurants, pubs and chip shops. Since the EU banned the use of waste fats as an additive for animal foods, disposal has been difficult, so using them for biofuel is recycling something that would otherwise be a waste management problem.

John set up the Bio-power website to provide information and create a network, encouraging people to produce bio-fuel from recycled fats. The method of manufacture is more efficient than other biofuel methods. “Our method is much simpler, and, being without any form of reactive chemistry, is safer,” John explained. “We do not consume any mineral chemicals or create glycerol waste by-products. Because of the simplicity of the process our method is very suitable for small locally-based businesses.

“Working co-operatively to achieve clearly defined and shared aims is essential to membership,” John continued. The Bio-Power Network aims to encourage co-operation, not competition and all members agree to its charter. “At present there are about 300 members of the Network and 20 potential bio-power trading companies.
Fuel will soon be ready for sale to the public. It is designed for use in all standard compression ignition engines without any form of modification.“
FURTHER INFORMATION : The Bio-Power Network run training seminars for people interested in producing bio-fuels. Contact: John Nicholson, Bio-Power (UK) Ltd., Tel: 01286 830312
WEB SITE : http://​communities​.msn​.co​.uk /BioPower EMAIL: john-​nicholson@​ntlworld.​com