Biodiesel plan cooked up by Pickens school district, county
By Julie Howle
Pickens County and the School District of Pickens County have teamed up to keep used vegetable oil from possibly ending up in a landfill.
The partnership is part of the county's effort to take used cooking oil and turn it into biodiesel fuel for trucks and equipment, said Pickens County Administrator Chappell Hurst.
He said the county is taking the vegetable oil that is used for cooking in the school district's lunchrooms to be transformed into the biofuel.
"It will save them from having to dispose of it," Hurst said. "It will help us because then we don't have any cost basically associated with that oil, and we'll turn it into fuel that will be worth $3.50 or whatever it is a gallon."
He said officials are also contacting universities in the county to possibly get their oil and said they are looking at restaurants that fry foods as possible sources for oil.
"When it's going full bore it will probably save close to a half a million dollars (in a year)," Hurst said. "It depends on the price of oil."
Sally Gardner, director of Student Nutrition Services with the school district, said that previously the school district paid a company to pick up the grease and dispose of it.
This new partnership will save the school district and the county money, she said.
"We want to be a part of the go green concept and give back to our community what we can do to participate to make it a greener environment for everyone to live," Gardner said.
Hurst said the building that will house the equipment at the Pickens County Landfill should be erected by Thanksgiving.
The storage shed, of which a portion will be enclosed, will house the processing unit to turn the used oil into biodiesel fuel, along with three tanks to store the unprocessed fuel.
Hurst said the equipment will cost about $100,000 and the work on the storage shed will be about $45,000.
"With all the budget cuts and the economy as it is, this is a way for us to maintain our taxes, maintain our budget without adding taxes," he said.
"There are environmental benefits such as the clean air, which is something that we're definitely concerned about."
Mainly because it's very expensive....even though it helps with our fuel consumption
Regarding the last line, I'm pretty sure that biodiesel was shown to create MORE pollution per unit than oil. Nevertheless, I'll support environmentalism that seeks out efficiency. There's no reason not to repurpose used cooking oil. It's better than throwing it away.
However, these kind of programs should never be mistaken for the total sham that is the ethanol industry. Producing biofuel through growing corn is an environmental and economic disaster. It's an absolute crime that our idiot congressmen are still promoting such nonsense.
I've dropped a couple links (from sources that can't be dismissed as right-wing) to help my point
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0510/p17s01-wogi.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18551000/
Quote from: jbm32206 on November 16, 2008, 10:37:46 AM
Mainly because it's very expensive....even though it helps with our fuel consumption
Huh? A one time $145,000 equipment cost, in exchange for an annual savings of up to $500,000.
Growing food crops for fuel production may very well be a bad idea, but making fuel out of what was previously disposed of in a landfill, is not the same thing.
It's costly to convert an engine to use that kind of fuel, and it still doesn't replace the standard engine. So yes, it's costly. I know someone who has a vehicle that has the conversion installed, and they weren't pleased with the performance nor the costs involved.
I Love The efficiency of Turbo Diesels and they have finally come of age.what concerns me is the inability to completely combust the fuel.(anyone that has smelled a Bio-Diesel running knows what I mean.) In my opinion..If you can smell pollution (oily residue in this case) it is Pollution.How finely filtered does it have to be to remove the fried potato/fish/chicken/burnt breading smell? Is there a national limit on how fine the refinement is to be?..or are they getting away with the bare minimum to please the EPA? ???
Because at present there is no profit in it.
Quote from: civil42806 on November 16, 2008, 10:19:26 PM
Because at present there is no profit in it.
Obviously, it isn't unprofitable in this case, or they would not be doing it.
Quote from: vicupstate on November 17, 2008, 09:01:38 AM
Quote from: civil42806 on November 16, 2008, 10:19:26 PM
Because at present there is no profit in it.
Obviously, it isn't unprofitable in this case, or they would not be doing it.
I'm sorry but a single school district, subsidized by state funds, does not mean its profitable.
This is my favorite part of the article, think a high school teacher may be involved.
"It will help us because then we don't have any cost basically associated with that oil, and we'll turn it into fuel that will be worth $3.50 or whatever it is a gallon"
Ah rigorous science at work 8)
Let's get some things defined here before going off into space on discussions.
1. Biodiesel is NOT used fryer oil, it can be made from used fryer oil or so called "virgin" i.e. unused oil. Engines can be converted to burn used fryer oil directly, but that is not what this school district is doing. Modern diesel injection systems, common rail or double pump systems, will NOT burn used fryer oil, but older, mechanical injection systems can. Used fryer oil must be heated before it can be injected even by mechanical injectors. What the conversion packages do is allow for engine heat to warm the fryer oil so that it can be burned, but the engines are run on petrodiesel until they get hot.
2. Any diesel engine can burn biodiesel without conversion.
3. Biodiesel can be made from any fat, vegetable or animal.
4. Biodiesel burns cleaner than petrodiesel and does not smell of french fries, chicken, etc. because it is a refined oil just as petrodiesel is. There is no sulpher in biodiesel so it is cheaper to refine than petrodiesel.
5. Biodiesel is better at lubricating injection systems than petrodiesel. Biodiesel is thicker than petrodiesel and more sensitive to low temperatures.
6. Most biodiesel is made from non-food fats. Palm oil is a big source for the European biodiesel plants.
7. All Volkwagen, Mercedes, Fiat, Peugeot, Iveco, Volvo diesels delivered come from the factory with B-5 in their tanks. That is 5% biodiesel and 95% petrodiesel. The biodiesel is a lubricating additive that helps during the break-in period for the new injection system.
8. To make biodiesel from used fryer oil costs about $.75 per gallon for ingredients and about $1.50 per gallon when all costs are included. By product of producing biodiesel from fat is glycerine soap.
9. Several cities in the U.S. can sell only B-20, i.e. 20% blend of biodiesel because this blend reduces the pollution produced by diesel engines and these cities are under EPA mandates to reduce their smog.
Every wonder about all of the boneless, skinless, chicken breasts that are consumed? They don't just throw away the bones and skin, you betya! The bones are ground up for animal feeds. The skins are rendered for their high fat content and the fat is made into biodiesel! Even the feathers are put into cheap dog food. Everything but the cluck! Ever eat fried pork skins? (Must be a Southerner!) Ever wonder what happens to the fat rendered from those skins?
There are algae that produce high percentages of fat as by products of their growth. Waste heat and carbon dioxide from coal fired power plants can be used to force the growth of these algae to product large quantities of fat.
Don't conflate ethanol production with biodiesel production. Making ethanol from corn is dumb! It could be used to make bourbon! What a waste. Making ethanol from sugar cane is a proven, sound method. Making ethanol from sugar beets might be OK, but making methanol (wood alcohol) from plant waste would be great!
Quote from: civil42806 on November 17, 2008, 09:43:34 AM
This is my favorite part of the article, think a high school teacher may be involved.
"It will help us because then we don't have any cost basically associated with that oil, and we'll turn it into fuel that will be worth $3.50 or whatever it is a gallon"
Ah rigorous science at work 8)
Maybe you live in Saudi Arabia where gas sells for $0.50 a gallon, but gas has recently been $3.50 a gallon, even more in some places. Diesel often is even more. The price changes weekly, even daily. So what exactly is your point?
You also have no argument for why they would attempt this is there were no cost savings involved.
Palm oil is also a destroyer of ecosystems... They are clear cutting malaysian rain forests for plantations and the practice is spreading to the Amazon basin...
OCK
What did your wife think of the native women. haha
Leave it to OCK to come up with the pics. ;D
Thanks for the Chicas pix... dated some brazilian women back in the day on a trip to South America. Ah the good old days... :o
I am certainly not the "greenest" person this site and am certainly a global warming skeptic. I do draw a line with flattening virgin rain forest so we can grow palm oil for biodiesel. Doing so is much,much worse for the environment than burning leaded fuel through your car...
Some examples...
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/182282761_f7d113aba9.jpg)
(http://www.cwbiodiesel.com/images/art/palm_oilx500.jpg)
This months National Geographic article/pictorial...
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/borneo/klum-photography
Here is another article... http://www.cwbiodiesel.com/biodiesel/palm_oil.html
Not all biodiesel is created equal
Biodiesel can be made out of any new or used vegetable oil. There are many sources of vegetable oil from different places. Canola and Soybean oil are used frequently in North America.
One of the cheapest - but most environmentally damaging - sources is palm oil. Palm oil is grown in the tropics, where tropical rainforests are being destroyed for palm plantations.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, palm oil production displaces wildlife, including endangered orangutans.
Palm oil is has been produced and used in the tropics for a long time, but the recent boom in palm oil production is huge and unprecedented.
Unfortunately, it really does appear to be true that palm oil biodiesel is, in the words of Guardian (UK) newspaper columnist George Monbiot, " Worse Than Fossil Fuel."
It's no surprise that the species diversity of animals in palm oil plantations is much lower than it is in tropical rain forests. Of just as much concern is that palm oil plantations displace orangutans, the only great ape that lives in this area. For more information about this, search the Orangutan Foundation's website for 'Palm Oil'.
QuoteWhat did your wife think of the native women. haha
ALTA: You probably won't want to believe this, but the Colombian's subscribe to a system called "Sucre Sal" or SWEET and SALTY. The culture says that yes one can marry for home-country-family even LOVE, but that doesn't mean one isn't going to share his or her affections on others. The Sweet and Salty also translates roughly as "The Branch Office". It is flawed (though most men think it isn't). Sort of works like being married in Jacksonville and going on "business trips" to Key West every other week. Ask the lone wife what she thinks and your going to encounter a Ricky Ricardo style tounge lashing, "HUMPF! off to the beach with that damned Sucre Sal!" When he gets home the hornets go at eachother until he makes up with gifts and affections... then the whole process is repeated.
Most of the Sucre Sal are very young and very sexy, but they'll live lifes of a put-up doll. Some will win over the affections of the guy, the wife fights an everlasting battle for youth and beauty. It's VERY COMMON to see a 20 year old woman on the arms of a 70 year old man. Of course by this time the man MUST BE successful, and have wealth as well as self worth. He is then honored as a "Doctor" (though this might not really be the case) or he is a "Don" (Master). Those of either sex who are extra sweet have their names altered with the Spanish Fem/Masc endings "sito" (him) or "sita" (her).
A bi-product of this belief is that any woman over 30 is WAY OVER THE HILL... Men, as soon as they show any sign of weakness, or feebleness - "Buddy she ain't gonna be holding your hand at Boot Hill Lodge". It effects the employability, and medical care in strange ways. Anyone with money is going to get medical care probably superior to Jacksonville. But anyone older, or ugly, or broken is a throw away. People become VERY clever in finding a way to survive - and... of course... that brings us to crime. Whole other story. .QuoteHere is a rough translation of the French/Latin song "Sucre Sal".
It's moons that I won
I have full pockets
Sorry, my
baby
But it will make light years
What you have lost the art and
way
Should move, my baby
Should save your nights for every day
And not
always in the black
I want to see
Love is not to drink the sea
And
more is hot
More is beautiful
My baby
Love must be done
with
A heart half
Sweet and salty
You can return
Your classic among
Greeks
I know enough
To give you
The taste of
Baby
Sucré-salés Sweet and salty
It made my day revolves
Around your sleep, I
m’agite m'agite
I have skin that takes o
Along my back,
Some of the ants that
run
Should take a room
With view on love
Should sand for
our toes
The wall of sound in our ears
A cure in honey bees
Y’a Y'a
everything that moves
In the red
My baby
Love must be done with
A heart
à moitié half
Sweet and salty
You can return
Your classic among Greeks
I
know enough
To leave you
The taste of babies
Sweet and salty
We love
quite
To let
The taste of a baby
Sweet and salty
Baby
My
baby
One that'll
Made in you and me
My baby
Sucré-sal Sweet-sal
Hope this helps..."Don Ocksito"