Biodiesel Feedstock Collected to Unplug London's Arteries
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11.14.05
Conventional practice for restaurant oil and grease waste is generally one of two things: either hire a service to haul off and "manage" the grease bin contents; or, sneak it down the drain. We home cooks follow suit. In fact we're probablly far worse for the environment by our actions. We either smuggle grease and oil to the landfill, in a jar, or pour it down the drain directly. The local result of grease pouring is shown in the picture. At the sewerage plant, further downstream, oil skimming and grease trapping are a basic part of the public employee's job, paid for by taxpayers. The oil and grease entering the sewerage plant either gets burned, producing C02, or "digested" by the sewerage bugs, which also produces C02. No matter how much grease reclamation happens, all the animal grease and plant oil purchased as food ultimately ends up being biologically or chemically oxidized. If not by our own metabolism, it happens by chemical or bacterial breakdown in sewerage systems and surface waters.
It's true that, back in the "old days", animal fat was purchased from homeowners and restaurants by soap making companies; but, ultimately, even soap making was just a useful diversion on the path to biodegradation...although a far better destiny than plugging sewers enroute.
Making biodiesel from waste oil and grease is all to the benefit of reduced sewerage system budgets, improved surface water quality, and more efficient, cleaner transportation. And, it's clear that our European friends are a leap ahead of the US in reaching those benefits. The Guardian of Nov. 2, 2005 typifies the progress with this headline: "A fat lot of good: Britain's much-maligned love of fried food could prove an unexpected aid to cutting traffic emissions and tackling blocked sewers." And so "the capital's restaurants and cafes are being encouraged not to dump their used cooking oil down the drain illegally but, instead, to offer it for free collection and reprocessing into biodiesel fuel".
These numbers tell the tale: "At the moment, about 15,000 tonnes of used cooking oil is collected every year from London's caterers. But the total available in the capital could be up to 37,000 tonnes a year. Capturing it all would require a massive effort. Realistically, the potential market for biodiesel in London is up to 25,000 tonnes a year, or 28m litres, says the report".
Here's a big picture challenge for TreeHuggers around the world. Lets focus on collecting all the waste oils we can instead of just cheering every new seed oil producing scheme or biodiesel plant being planned. If we only have so much time and personal energy for curbside collection, oil and grease markets offer an economic and a political incentive that probably exceed those for can and bottle collection. Ascendant markets will bring new allies and cooperation.
Yes it would be a massive effort to collect all of that used fat and grease! But there's another problem. The Environment Agency requires waste be handled by an appropriately licensed company. This could preclude any cottage industry efforts. Who wants to do this thankless job with its red tape and cost burden?
Hmm;;;
Oyster mushrooms are supposed to be able to handle bioremediation of diesel soaked soils, I wonder if they could handle cooking grease? Of course it still mostly gets turned into CO2, but those mushrooms make good eating on the way, and it would be preferable to sending it to the landfill.
Wait I thought the Co2 in grease was "balanced" Because it came from plants and will be recycled by growing plants. The Co2 in grease will be released whether thought "bug" action or burning in a diesel truck
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Animal fats (tallow) and synthetic oils end up mixed in with the seed oils. It takes petroleum fuel to run the tractors, etc, and all of those emissions also are "embodied" in the oils. For the most part, as you point out however, the cooking oils and greases come from a below the top of the food chain and exist because of photosynthetic assembly of atmospheric C02.
GREASE GUARDIAN is an automatic grease collection device which is plumbed into the drainage run of restaurants. It collects grease which can then be collected and recycled into biodiesel. Benefits for restaurant, no more blocked drains or fines from authorities. Benefits to environment, biodiesel and unpolluted water courses. www.greaseguardian.com or Tel: 028 302 66616
I have just found this lot who are good.
Uptown Oil. http://www.uptownoil.co.uk/