WVO History

In 1900 when Rudolf Diesel successfully demonstrated his diesel engine running on pure peanut oil at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, it seemed that the future of vegetable oil as a fuel for internal combustion engines was assured. The inventor of the diesel engine foresaw the economic benefits of producing a renewable fuel product from agricultural crops and boldly predicted that vegetable oils would rival petroleum in importance. During WWII, major efforts were undertaken by Europe and the United States to develop vegetable oils as a substitute for petroleum-based fuels. European powers with colonies in Africa conducted significant experiments using palm oil, while here at home, Ohio State University researched the use of cottonseed and corn oil as a diesel substitute -- both as stand-alone fuels and as blends with diesel fuel. As shortages of crude oil, gasoline and diesel fuel disappeared after WWII, so did governments' interest in coming up with viable alternative and renewable fuels. Since WWII, efforts to develop alternative and renewable fuel sources have been held hostage by political and economic expediency. Interest in developing vegetable oils as a fuel for internal combustion engines has increased during crises caused by war, fuel embargoes and high oil prices. However, as soon as each successive crisis has receded, the country has relapsed into its old petroleum-based fuel addiction. Over the past few years, the rapidly increasing cost of crude oil finally made the more wide spread use of renewable energy sources economically feasible. The use of both ethanol from corn and biodiesel from vegetable oils increased significantly. In 2008 a new controversy affected attitudes and government policy towards the use of renewable agricultural commodities as fuel sources. The dramatic increase in crude prices was accompanied by a corresponding rise in the prices of most agricultural crops such as corn, OSR, sunflower, barley and wheat. This price increase was blamed in part on the increasing use of corn and oil seed crops for the production of ethanol and biodiesel. As a result of the controversy, the European Union and the United Nations even backed away from certain renewable energy targets for the future. The use of vegetable oils as a renewable fuel source had fallen victim to the food vs. fuel controversy. However, not all uses of vegetable oil as a diesel fuel substitute should be considered controversial. Over the past ten years or so the use of waste vegetable oil (WVO) has gained popularity as a substitute for diesel fuel for a number of reasons. There is an abundant supply of WVO. Runs in diesel engines with the help of inexpensive conversion kits. Produces less harmful emissions than fossil fuels. As a biofuel, WVO is carbon neutral. No fuel vs. food controversy. The small-scale use of WVO as a diesel fuel substitute is being promoted by a small but intensely dedicated group of entrepreneurs, engineers and environmentalists who conduct research,develop technologies, design equipment and share their experience. Problems associated with the United States' addiction to fossil fuels cannot possibly be solved by the use of a single alternative source of renewable energy. However, the use of WVO has been shown to be feasible technically,economically and environmentally. With close to 4.5 billion gallons of WVO produced each year in the United States, its use as a diesel fuel replacement certainly has a role in this country's energy strategy for the future.