Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids Press Rev. Ronald Nyudam, of Grand Rapids, right, gets into one of Metro Cab's new bio-diesel fueled VW Jettas as Metro driver Bryan Kenez, of Kentwood, left, prepares to take off Monday at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. According to VP of Operations Steve Walz, Metro Cab now has seven of these green cars in service, which get 42 miles to the gallon using bio-diesel fuel.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Metro Cab driver Bryan Kenez is making fewer stops at the gas pump lately.
Kenez recently switched to a bio-diesel-fueled Volkswagen Jetta cab, a shade greener than the traditional minivan he used to drive. His taxi now motors more than 500 miles on one tank of gas -- that's about 35-40 miles a gallon -- which gives him twice the gas mileage.
The Grand Rapids-based cab firm has added seven of the cars to its fleet in the past two weeks.
Metro Cab felt the investment would be appreciated in Grand Rapids, which is gaining a national reputation as a green city, said Steve Walz, vice-president of operations at Metro Cab, 4678 Danvers Drive SE.
I was in San Francisco last week and I saw one cab company using the Prius as cabs. Why shouldn’t a cab run on biodiesel—it might open the eyes of many people who never gave biodiesel a chance.
Photo from: http://biodieselprocessor.org/Appleseed_Biodiesel_Processors.htm
Last year, students at Chicago's Mother McAuley High School began building a biodiesel processor for a school in Pichon, Haiti.
When a devastating earthquake rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, the McAuley students found an even more important reason to complete their work. Roz Iasillo, who heads up the school's science department, says the disaster pushed back the ship date for the processor, but the work took on a new sense of meaning.
Most Americans probably think of soybeans when they hear biodiesel. However, the Iasillo explains the McAuley processor will use jatropha to produce fuel.
Jatropha, which grows wild and abundantly in Haiti, is a sort of shrub. Iasillo says residents will be able to harvest the seeds and use a hand-crank crushing device to extract the oil.
Once the oil is extracted, it is placed in the processor. Using solar panels for power, the processor cooks the oil. Here, the oil breaks down into biodiesel and glycerin. Iasillo says the glycerin can be used for a variety of products, including soap.
The biodiesel that results from the processing is 96% pure, which is plenty good for running an engine. However, Iasillo says it makes more sense to use it for cooking and lighting lanterns. "There's no reason to put it in a generator to create electricity," she notes. "There is no infrastructure for electricity."
With this processor, residents should be able to manufacture up to 40 gallons of biodiesel every three days.
Photo from: http://www.life.com/image/57576310
TALLAHASSEE -- Four Oak Hall High School science students received a lesson in government Tuesday when they persuaded a Senate committee to approve a measure designed to cut government red tape.
The students developed a process to take used cooking grease and vegetable oil and convert it into biodiesel, but then ran up against government regulations..
The Senate Higher Education Committee approved a measure by Sen. Steve Oelrich that would exempt secondary schools that produce less that 1,000 gallons of biodiesel a year from paying taxes. The measure also exempts them from registration requirements.
An identical bill is in the House.
I can’t believe the state wanted to tax a school for making a small amount of biodiesel, but that is what governments do, they make red tape. Thank goodness this is being looked at now.
Figure 1: BioFuelBox bio-refinery used to convert wastewater FOG into biodiesel. BioFuelBox is owner-operator of this small-sized facility with a 1 million gallons per year capacity.
Over 4 billion gallons of waste grease per year is generated in the United States, presenting costly challenges to wastewater treatment systems. Local governments spend over $25 billion annually maintaining sewer systems, necessitating more effective strategies to contain the financial and environmental impacts caused by sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) and combined sewer overflows (CSO). In addition, many States are placing stricter requirements on industries to resolve issues with waste fats, oils and greases (FOG) before wastewater enters the sewer system, adding logistical and technological challenges to those faced by waste generators.
We have heard about this company in the past, seems a perfect answer for helping to unclog our municipal sewers, and yet make a fuel that can be used for so many purposes. Good ideas here.