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Vegetable Oil is Green
by Elizabeth Eidlitz
“It’s disheartening. People find it hard to step into the unfamiliar and get used to change, even for this payoff,” says Jamie Merkle, an Industrial Arts teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury High school who drives a grease mobile and heats his home in Hudson with vegetable oil.
The payoff to which Merkle refers covers the multiple benefits of beating high gas prices and protecting the environment by modifying all types of diesel vehicles to run on waste vegetable oil.
Plant based vegetable oil is sustainable. Because it emits far fewer greenhouse gases and carcinogens than petroleum-based diesel, it’s cleaner. And you’ll find at your local pizza parlor, Chinese food restaurant, bar and grill, or donut shop, an abundant supply of free fuel for an auxiliary 12 gallon tank in the trunk of your vehicle.
Inspired ten years ago by Joshua Tickel’s book ''From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank," Merkle, with Patrick Keaney, co-owners of Green Grease Monkey, have been converting diesel cars, box trucks, and school buses since 2004. Green Grease Monkey, Boston-based, helps Metrowest residents join the alternative energy revolution. The company will convert your diesel vehicle for $1,000-$2,000—an investment that pays for itself—or sell Do-It-Yourself-ers a low-cost, high-quality conversion kit, backed up with a commitment to customer service.
“I’m not trying to make a bundle, just trying to get people to use grease as an energy source,” says Merkle, noting that fast growing hemp and algae are also oil producers.
Last April, Jim Gould of Framingham had Green Grease Monkey convert his 1987 Mercedes 300D for $1400. “I use to it commute from Wayland to Cambridge every day, a 30 mile round trip, and have taken it on round trips to Philly, Maine, and New Hampshire for a total of 4000 miles.
“It has run beautifully from day one with no noticeable difference in performance from running on diesel. I get 28 mpg and the same power. The conversion has probably saved me $700 in 4 months - not a bad return on investment. Plus it's considered carbon neutral, so it’s very cool.”
“I was educated in the glories of grease early,” Erin Keaney explains, “because my brother, Patrick is passionate about green living. However , I have no time for unreliability in my vehicle and I’ve liked the convenience of pulling in and pumping fuel from multiple available gas stations.
“Yet driving a converted 1984 Mercedes this summer has proved a success for my green side, for my fun and curious side, and for my pocketbook.
Any drawbacks?
Sure.
But Keaney considers them small prices to pay for the overwhelming benefits.
Since the car has no meter hooked up to the WVO tank, it is imperative to monitor the levels yourself. “Embarrassingly,” Keaney confesses, “I’ve twice run out of fuel, but by switching back to the bio-diesel in the main tank, I could get home and re-fill my WVO.
“Initially, there’s a slight odor of grease, plus the extra work of regularly collecting, filtering, and pouring oil.
“More diesel fuel will be consumed in cooler months as the lines need time to heat up, and I can only imagine how unpleasant filtering and pouring grease in the freezing cold will be! People might be more willing to try this if a cooperative group of area families could rotate and cover the collection and filtering of grease one weekend a month.”
The conversion process is similar for home heating, though more complicated when you “start to mess with the mechanics of a house,” Merkle admits. “To be qualified, you need to feel confident doing your own plumbing and electrical work.”
Pale green skeptics as well as those on the brink of plunging into the unfamiliar, can find more information and contacts at www.greengreasemonkey.com |
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