There has been more and more interest in using Waste Motor Oil as fuel.   Due to the increasing scarcity of Waste Vegetable Oil,  WMO is becoming a viable alternative fuel for folks with  diesel vehicles and waste oil burners.  Sources of WMO are:

*Car repair shops

*Auto Dealerships

*Machinery shops

*Trucking service company

*Fleets

*Construction companies

*Neighbors and friends

(Checkout our new WMO Pump – Designed to move high viscosity oils)

Most people burn WMO straight in their vehicle, without the typical Waste Veggie Conversion tanks, pumps and heaters.   Straight WMO can work in vehicles, but it is typically refined before putting in the fuel tank.  There are hosts of ways to refine the WMO, thinning it to the viscosity of diesel.    Kerosene(K2), Regular Unleaded Gas(RUG), Ethanol(E85), Diesel(D2) and Acetone are used at varying percentages.  Diesel is blended at the highest percentages, where the other additives are generally blended in the 5-15% range.

Burning in Waste Motor Oil in a Vehicle is still in the experimental stages.   I mean it works; you can burn WMO and power over the mountain pass.   And oh yeah, it can be very profitable, saving loads of cold hard cash at the pump.   Still under investigation however is the longevity and compatibility with specific fuel systems.   Many undertake “maverick” experimentation on their personal vehicles.  These experiments are documented in forums, mainly in vehicle-specific forums.  Marcus has good documentation for his common rail Duramax WMO experiment in this forum discussion.  Here is a link our WMO Forum Discussion as well.

Using WMO in your vehicle will be an experiment and risks will greatly be reduced with finely cleaned oil.  Buying a couple water filters from Home Depot isn’t enough.  For proper cleaning, its best to use a centrifuge or a high quality diesel particulate filter with water block.   Using a WMO Centrifuge is a hassle-free and surefire way to clean up the for use as fuel.   Centrifuges will remove the  solid and liquid contaminants.     It’s important to get the WMO cleaned down to less than 10 micron rating for absolute particulates.  A centrifuge will clean below one micron.

Contaminants present in WMO come from use in engines along with  external storage/disposal situations.   Engine-based contaminants include heavy metals(lead, copper etc), water, soot, glycol(antifreeze), fuel and metal bits from engine wear.   Remember, engines constantly filter the oil, so the particulate contamination isn’t as bad when sourcing straight from an engine.  However, engine oil filters aren’t fine enough for injection systems, most of them are 20 or 30 micron at best.

Some of the worst contamination happens when the oil is outside of the engine, sitting at the autoparts store, where folks tend to pollute with spent filter, antifreeze, and who knows what else.

Due to the varying contamination levels and the need for a fine cleaning to use as fuel, WMO is best cleaned in stages.  Initial settling is paramount where good oil will rise over time, leaving water, antifreeze and heavy contaminants on the bottom.  Settling times decrease when heat is applied.  Most heaters will cause convection currents, mixing the oil with contaminants, so it’s best to let the WMO cold settle 24-48hrs after the application of heat.   Next, thinning agents or heat is added to the oil prior to centrifuging to reduce viscosity for effective cleaning.  Some folks use heaters, like our Bolt on Heater to reduce the viscosity to clean 100% WMO.    Blending can also be done after the the oil is clean, reducing the viscosity for proper flow and combustion in vehicles.

Once you have your clean oil and blend of choice refined, you are ready to use the oil as fuel in your vehicle or waste oil burner.  Waste oil burners are more tolerant of the high viscosity, where vehicles have varying tolerances.   My mechanic burns straight WMO in his 1983 Mercedes diesel, a vehicle with a robust injection pump.  Other vehicles like common rail injection systems are finicky with waste oils, even blends.    Some proven vehicles for WMO are pre-1987 Mercedes, pre-2002  Fords, and 89-2002 Cummins.

Stay Tuned for our new ebook on WMO, and also check our Technical Library for more information and updates.  If you have photos or stories to add, please email me at Jason@wvodesigns.com  or contribute below.  Thanks and good luck!

Jason Jelonek

WVO Designs Sales and Tech Support

I mainly calculate my WVO costs in time, the time it takes me to collect the oil and time it take for processing into fuel.  I spend about 3hrs of collecting per month, and 2 for processsing, so I’m at about $40+/hr labor rate for making my own fuel.  Another benefit is that my car smells like french fries, and sometimes steak or chicken.   And last but not least,  I see gas stations solely as bathrooms.    

There is an up front cost to WVO, like car conversion parts and more importantly oil moving and cleaning equipment.  Saving $210 a month will pay for a centrifuge and pump within 1 year.  I’ve been running WVO for almost 5yrs now, so you do the math.   WVO isn’t something to try out, get into for a while then get out.  You have to be committed and determined to really make it pay.  And if you stick with it, the savings, feel good benefits and independence is well worth the initial investment or occasional spot of grease on your shoes.

Here’s a look at my WVO processing operation:

All of our conversion parts, FPHEs, Pumps, Hot Sicks, etc. have female threads which need an adapter to plumb fuel hose.    Some of our parts are still require NPT, fittings, but rest assured, we will be changing them to ORB.

NPT

NPT(National Pipe Thread) fittings are commonly available in hardware stores.   They handle high pressure, but the threads require plumbers tape or pipe dope to make a tight seal and prevent liquid and air leaks.  NPT fittings are difficult to remove and service than other style fittings.   NPTF fittings, do not require sealant.

ORB

ORB, or O-Ring Boss has an o-Ring seal on it to prevent leaks and make a tight connection.  They are the same as SAE, and are measured in #’s.

ORB/JIC Numbering System

#1 = 1/16

#2 = 2/16 or 1/8

#3 = 3/16

#4 = 4/16 or 1/4

#5 = 5/16

#8 = 8/16 or 1/2

etc.

JIC

JIC, originally developed for the military,  is a flare fitting with a 37 degree angle seating surface.  These are commonly used in fuel system and high pressure applications.   They are similar to AN fittings.   JIC connections require no sealant or thread tape.  We like JIC Swive fittings as they are easy to apply and remove for service.  JIC follows the numbering system above.

Pushlock

And finally, you will be happy our fuel hose and fittings are Push Lock, meaning you push the hose on and it locks in place, sealed for good.   No hose clamps required!!

Let us Review!

Purchase Fittings and Hose Here

I’ve been running WVO for over 5 years now. No engine trouble and no difficulty finding WVO. One personal secret I must share is that, I did it backwards. Everyone says to find oil first, then convert your vehicle. I being brood from Polish decent and coupled with a strong ancestry from the Kentucky hills, I naturally was driven to go against common, accepted knowledge. I converted my vehicle first, then “magically” I was amply motivated to find oil Since, I’ve had no trouble trouble fueling my diesels with WVO; while at the same time relieving the oil companies of my financial dependence. I’ve never used a contract either.   Typically, contracts are non-binding legally.    I do think contracts are a good idea, mainly to give the impression to the restaurant owner that you are committed to taking their oil. Restaurants are a lot less likely to select you as their waste oil service provider if you show-up as some random guy looking to take some of their vegetable oil.

Here are some proven ways to get oil:

Craigslist:

What has been helpful is using local craigslist.   I post ads wanting WVO and typically get calls from restaurants and individuals. Also, daily searches for WVO in the “For Sale” Category will eventually yield results.

Direct From Restaurant:

Asian and high-end restaurants often have the best quality WVO.    But…don’t even think of showing up to your local Happy Garden in your greasy pants and ask for their oil.   That worked back when we had the “free-pickup” angle to sell the restaurants on, but now they expect more.  The restaurants want to deal with professionals and ensure their WVO will be reliable collected.  Most of them also want to be paid for the oil as well.    I recommend having  a  WVO  ”Business”.  Make up cards and brochures for cheap from Vista Print.   Show you will provide them a professional collection service and they will never have to worry about their waste oil.   If you can get the restaurant to leave the oil in the plastic cubies, that can be easier as you just grab them and go.  In many cases you will need to provide a new barrel or container.   It’s best to have a locking lid now as grease theft is rampant. Theft  in South Florida was so bad,  Pristine Biodiesel has made a line of super-secure collection bins called “The Terminator”.

If you want to take oil collecting to the next step, you can develop an “oil management” business. Startup oil collection business have found it profitable to offer other services to the restaurants like fryer filtration(which allows the restaurant to re-use the oil), grease-trap service and even energy efficient lighting.   This is one of the best ways to secure the oil is by managing it directly.   The oil no longer makes it out to the dumpster because you are handling it and you get to take it.   Service-added oil collection is really a strong selling point.   A company in the southeast, Refried Means is offering training and equipment for independent WVO oil management entrepreneurs.
Alas, WVO is not being given away anymore.  It is a hot commodity going for upwards of $3/gallon on the commodity market.   But it’s still available.  Some estimates from the DOE say 100 million gallons of WVO a day are produced.    So don’t tell me there’s not any oil.   With some determination,  planning and creativity, individuals and fleets are still finding ways to access oil and secure their fuel needs.

Please add your insights or questions below.

-Jason

Diatoms tiny silica skeleton remains are mined and used in common filtration products.

How does this relate to WVO, well vegetable oil is a modern alternative to an ancient energy form produced by diatoms.   Is WVO really an alternative though?    Think about this.   If we turned all US farms, that’s every garden, cotton farm, tobacco farm etc.,  into Vegetable oil farms, we would still need to burn Diesel made from “Fossil Fuel”.

Hmmm, can we take a lesson from nature, and farm the best and most effective oil  producers in the history of our planet?  Maybe so.  That’s what Jonathan Meuser and many other algal scientists and ambitious investors are speeding towards.

The key is finding, or creating a high yielding species of algae.     And, we need to provide a cost effective medium for this algae.   Tanks can get expensive when they are a mile long.   Hmmm….oil pipelines run miles.    Well, barring investment from Exxon-mobile, these algal devotees are working to solve the energy problem with brains over bucks.

We’ve had quite a few algae customers purchase the raw power centrifuge.   High Schools, large universities and high tech research companies have the centrifuge valuable in harvesting algae and oil.

If you’re interested in learning more about the transition to algal fuels, check out Jonathan’s talk at the 2011 Collective Biofuels Conference.  The slideshow is not visible in the video, but you can download it here and watch along as he speaks.

The best part of this engine is that the fuel travels through the piping hot fuel rails prior to injection.  That means the Engine acts as a WVO Super Heat Exchanger!  No need to super heat the veggie oil with extra add-ons.  You only need to warm the oil for flow and have a good pump.

There are a host of WVO plumbing configurations, but the slickest way to convert this truck is the “dead-head” style, developed by FN74(Jason) and other forum members back in the day.   In the deadhead style of conversion, WVO and Diesel fuel systems are kept separate meeting at opposing ends of the engine head, fuel rails.  This system works by offsetting pressures and you don’t have to hack up your stock system to install.

Every kit manufacturer makes a WVO kit for this vehicle.  The safest and easiest way to convert these is by the “Deadhead” system.  Some can cost as much as $4500 w/5 month warranty.   We have put together the basic components:  WVO Designs Kit .  It will cost you $2000 includes a 2 year warranty on WVO Designs parts and 5yr on the pump.

Features of the 7.3 PSD Vehicles:

* Inexpensive

* Nice array of vehicles that use the 7.3:   SUV(Excursion), Pickup’s, Vans

* Robust engine going 300k+ miles

* Proven to run well with WVO

I’ve been looking for a quality suction screen for years.  I have tried a number of plastic and metal contraptions and haven’t been happy with anything.  This puppy had some nice specs, so I thought I’d give ‘er a try.  It is very stout, but unfortunately it won’t fit into a cubie as it’s 3″ wide.   I need the ability draw oil from a cubie.  These are also too tall(6″) for cubies or shallow containers.  What this screen did work well for was drawing oil from my large holding tank and into my centrifuge tank.  I would use that for this purpose, but mount on a 90* elbow so cylinder is horizontal.    I would like these to be slightly shorter, so you can skim the good oil from the top of a holding vessel.

For behind restaurant collection, I would recommend these, but choose a model with larger size holes.  Heavy fats and PHO will clog this too quickly.  Different style wvo suction strainers are available at  Utah Biodiesel Supply.

Does anyone else have a suction screen they could recommend for drawing from cubies?

This red coating on my tank and fuel cap can only be one thing…Algae!  I’ve been running veg for 5 years and have never contracted an algae bloom in my fuel system before.  Damn.  I should have used protection.  I shouldn’t have been sharing nozzles with my friends.    I showed my fellow co-op members and they told me their fuel tanks have looked like that for years.  My friend Steve actually has an appreciation for his now living ecosystem in his fuel tank.   Eh, he he.    I’m not so thrilled.   Apparently this algae can be killed by stuff called Biocide?  The quandary is that once killed,  the algae will clog filters, tank screens etc.    I’m tempted to let this go.   Does anyone else have experience with this?

What would be nice is if I can get this algae to produce oil as it’s growing.

WVO Designs attended the 7th annual Collective Biofuels Conference this past weekend in beautiful Temecula, CA.   We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the attendees and learning from the inspiring presenters.    The conference was geared towards grease collection along with small-mid scale biodiesel production and distribution.  Although I only use SVO myself, I was able to glean some good information on the oil collection business and further my knowledge about Biodiesel.   I also left with a renewed sense of and enthusiasm and commitment to using alternative fuels.

You can checkout the past presentations yourself as they are archived.  The 2012 videos may not be available yet.

One of the highlights this year was learning of the success of Summit Greasecycling’s Dara Lor side soapmaking business.  He and his crew actually make WVO Soap and have found it profitable.    It really pays to try new things and adapt.   Checkout the video on Summit’s homepage.

A focus of Dara’s is on collaboration and sharing of knowledge and skills.  Hey, making information free and open-source is what we love here at WVO Designs.

He was willing and open to sharing his soapmaking knowledge and help other folks with his business model.  Dara also has experience in the legal issues surrounding collecting WVO and has recently successfully secured an exemption for small scale WVO collectors in Colorado.   He’s looking for help to form a legal working group around WVO collection in other states.

I was also intrigued by Jonathan Meuser’s talk on Biofuel from Algae.   Algae can easily produce up to 25% oil compared to their mass.  That’s an extremely high yield, now all we have to do is figure an efficient way to grow it, invest in infrastructure etc.

Jonathan had some interesting analysis on the energy needs of the US compared to the biofuel production capability.  His presentation should be online soon.

Another interesting was Brian Roberts from the Cowichan Biodiesel Co-op.  I had dinner with him and was very excited about his endeavors.  He is president of a Co-op that has over 170 members.

We also met some other great folks like an Independent collector in Bend, OR, an Ex-executive from Darling.

Finally, I have to give a plug to Temecula.  A small town in Southern California of 100k with very friendly people and fun activities day and night.

If you missed out, be sure to watch for the conference next year.   It was truly a great experience.

Jason and Leon

Leon and the Beast

Jason, Leon and Graydon Blair from Utah Biodiesel

Rex Moore from Great West Biofuels, Mark Roberts from Springboard Biodiesel, and Leon Griffin

I have a bunch of 5 gallon carboys I carry with me for shorter trips with my car. Sometimes people tow 275gallon totes or barrels on a trailer or in their truck bed.

For longer trips, I prefer to connect with other Veggie-heads who have some extra oil to sell.   How do you connect with those people?  See the following links:

Fillup4Free – An older, but still fruitful map of people with oil to sell

Forums – Post a request for oil in a specific location or find others selling

http://www.wvodesigns.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?22-Open-Market

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/559605551

Craigslist – Search for “clean WVO” “veggie Oil” “vegetable oil” etc

If you really want to dumpster dive on the road, and your family or friends don’t mind hunting around a bit and finding some good oil, then by all means go for it. Cleaning it is always the challenge.  The best thing I’ve seen for on the road filtration is the Golden Fuel Systems One Shot Filtration unit. I haven’t used it, but it has a nice large filter for cleaning oil that hasn’t been settled or screened.

See the One Shot Filtration Video