Backbone > Life in the Balance
The Drive to Lower Emissions Part III
By Susan Piperato

For the past two issues, this column has focused on the race to get sustainable vehicles—or ZEV, for zero emissions vehicles—on the road. This month, we cross the finish line of this series with a look at biodiesel and a man who's, literally, taken this fuel to the highway.

Joshua Tickell started experimenting with making biodiesel back in the 1996, before the term had even entered the American sustainability lexicon. Because there wasn't any fuel shortage crisis motivating him, Tickell writes in the preface to his book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel (Tickell Energy Consulting, third edition 2000), his family and friends were somewhat mystified by his newfound obsession with vegetable oil, especially in relationship to running his motor home. But, like many innovators, Tickell felt compelled to continue hitting up local restaurants for their leftover cooking oil despite his own occasional bouts of skepticism. When he decided he'd found the right formula for making biodiesel, he filled up the tank of his motor home with the stuff, and left his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, to head west on a kind of crusade. In the summer and fall of 1998, he took the van on an official and much publicized national tour. The Veggie Van was featured on Jim Hightower Radio, CNN, "The Today Show," The Discovery Channel and "Dateline", as well as in several major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times.

Although Tickell says he fully expected his newly dubbed Veggie Van to pack it in at any moment, it never did. Since the van's maiden voyage, he has crossed the country in the van via biodiesel fuel several times—in fact, as of 2000, the Veggie Van had traveled more than 25,000 powered by biodiesel, without ever having a single fuel-related engine problem.
Any diesel engine whatsoever can run on biodiesel—trucks, generators, boats, tractors, trains, busses, and cars. As long as the engine is diesel, that is. You can even mix biodiesel and diesel fuel at any ratio, so there's no need to drain the system before filling up with the alternative stuff.

However, attempting to use biodiesel in a car that normally runs on leaded or unleaded gasoline is another story. Gasoline-run vehicles have spark-ignition engines—in other words, spark plugs are used to ignite thin explosive fuels like gasoline. Diesel engines are compression-ignition engines, substantially heavier and sturdier, designed to run on thick viscous fuels that are ignited using super-compressed air instead of spark plugs. Vegetable oil-derived biodiesel, which is a thick form of grease, says Tickell, is ideal. But don't try putting the grease directly into a diesel engine without processing it into biodiesel fuel. Although some diesel engines will run on straight grease in a pinch, he explains, most aren't designed for straight vegetable oil and can "coke" up and stop working altogether. However, there are some simple ways to modify your engine's fuel system to make it accommodate straight vegetable oil—whether fresh or used. Tickell's book includes complete instructions.

Since biodiesel doesn't contain sulfur, there are no sulfur dioxide emissions. Soot emissions are generally cut by up to 60 percent, as are carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. However, cars running on biodiesel still emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as with diesel. But the CO2 from burning biodiesel is captured in the next batch of crops grown to make it, Tickell claims. Then it is "emitted and captured again and again, ad infinitum." He explains: "The key here is that no new carbon dioxide is added to the Earth's atmosphere. We're not digging up fossilized carbon and dumping it into the sky. Instead, we're just cycling carbon and oxygen through the ecosystem. This is why biodiesel is called a renewable fuel."

Biodiesel doesn't have any effect on nitrous oxide emissions, either. In fact, according to Tickell, there are no less Nox emissions than there are with gasoline-run engines, but cutting back on Nox emissions can be done by lowering the combustion temperature.

Here's the good news: biodiesel gets an average of 25mpg, and in US and European tests, engines running on biodiesel have shown minor, if any, differences in torque, horse power, range and top speed. Biodiesel also ensures a smoother acceleration and idling. Maintenance costs are no higher than with diesel fuel. University of Missouri studies of biodiesel usage show that it is more lubricating and therefore can prolong engine life. It does contain trace amounts of methanol alcohol, which degrades rubber; however, after 25,000 miles on the road with the Veggie Van, Tickell has never had to replace any rubber fuel system parts.

Making Biodiesel
In Germany, biodiesel made from rapid-growing, naturally occurring strain algae supplies 800 service stations across the country. Tickell says that any type of vegetable oil or animal fat (hmmmm…blubber?) can be used to make biodiesel. But here's the real sustainability plug for using cooking oil: There are more than three billion gallons of used cooking oil produced in the US each year, most of it illegally dumped in sewer systems or trucked to landfills. Some of it is refiltered and then sold to Third World countries as cooking oil, which, needless to say, causes major health problems. In some regions back home, the stuff is reused in cattle feed, pet food, and cosmetics—which means we may eat it ourselves, feed it to our dogs, or rub it into our faces.

Tickell says making biodiesel is so easy you can even do it in your kitchen blender, but he recommends using a bucket, metal drum, or plastic tank. The process is technically known as transesterification, and was conducted as early as 1853 by scientists Duffy and Patrick. A 1991 University of Idaho Department of Agriculture report describes the process of transesterification as one of "using an alcohol (e.g., methanol or ethanol) in the presence of a catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, to chemically break the molecule of the raw renewable oil into methyl or ethyl esters of the renewable oil with glycerol as a by-product."

One early use of transesterified vegetable oil was in powering heavy-duty vehicles in South Africa in the 1920s. Today, Europe is much further ahead in its production and use of biodiesel than the US. At Poland's Institute of Aviation, in Warsaw, a biodiesel degree program has been running since 1991. One of the latest experiments includes running cars on pure rape seed methyl ester, and building the first agrorafinery, or biodiesel factory, capable of producing 1,000 tonnes of biodiesel per year. In cooperation with Polish fuel company CPN, the Institute sells a mixture of diesel and biodiesel at seven filling stations.

The most important part of transesterification is obtaining large quantities of vegetable oil. Tickell says most restaurants have contracts with grease recyclers, but if you work the deal out on their terms, they'll usually be glad to give it to you rather than pay to have it removed. That goes for chain restaurants as well as independently owned ones. Also, don't worry about the oil "going bad" after you store it for processing—that can only happen during a particularly hot summer. Under extremely high temperatures it can form black algae, which is difficult to clean. It's best to make biodiesel right away, but if you can't, then store the oil in a cool, shady spot and use a black drum. Don't let any water get inside.

It takes about 10 hours to make biodiesel—one hour for the reaction to take place, one hour for preparation, mixing and cleanup, and eight hours for the mixture to sit. It's a relatively simple process, and well worth it—a gallon of homemade fuel costs only about 50 cents, Tickell says, compared to $1.30 for commercially produced fuel.

When making biodiesel, observe safety precautions: wear eye protection, long sleeves, gloves, shoes, and keep a designated eye wash nearby. Remember, this is chemistry. You'll be working with a mixture of vegetable oil or animal fat, methanol and lye. Tickell recommends using methanol alcohol, bought at racetracks, and Red Devil Lye, available in supermarkets and hardware stores. And remember this: Do not blend vegetable oil with gasoline instead of methanol.

Despite the (slight) risks involved in making biodiesel, it has a rather benign and useful byproduct: glycerol, which makes glycerin soap. Tickell recommends using it to clean the biodiesel processor, or pouring it into jars to use at home.

Tickell's "Green Grease Machine," invented as part of a college science project, is a portable biodiesel processor that produces non-toxic biodegradable diesel-like fuel from vegetable oil. The machine is designed to recycle restaurant cooking oil—including soy, sunflower, canola, vegetable and fast-food, French-fryer oil—and process it into clean biodiesel. It's built from a Yanmar diesel motor, a belt-driven 4kW generator, an old Champion juicer mounted to a heavy-duty rotary gear pump, a fryer vat, a blue tugboat fuel filter, a drill, a mud mixer mounted over a sealed 5-gallon bucket, a 60-gallon steam kettle (Tickell's is a 1978 military issue), and a three-horsepower DC outboard motor. Instructions for making the machine and directions for how its use are available online or in Tickell's book. Although the Green Machine sounds like a tricky contraption, the online diagrams and instructions for building it make it seem like a surprisingly straightforward project.

Biodiesel Workshops
Joshua Tickell offers hands-on workshops in making biodiesel fuel and a biodiesel processor. Costs range from $125 for a one-day workshop to $500 a five-day seminar. For information on the next workshop dates, check the Veggie Van Web site at www.veggievan.com, or e-mail tickell@veggievan.com.

BY THE WAY...
If you can't afford to buy or make your own sustainable, emission-free vehicle, don't despair-you can still make tracks toward sustainable driving. There are already cost-effective and reliable methods available to reduce emission levels, increase mileage and extend the life of your engine. Here's one:

The MaxImizer Magnetizer
The magnet is claimed to elevate moods, relieve pain, cure arthritis and improve overall health. Now it's being marketed for "car therapy," according to Tom Weber, AKA "The Magnet Man," promoter of the MaxImizer Magnetizer. Using mono-pole technology, the MaxImizer increases mileage and power and lowers emission rates, maintenance and fuel costs. Although the MaxImizer's Web site presents it as a cost-saving and performance-improving device, Weber claims several cars inspected without "anti-pollution gear," but with the MaxImizer installed, have still passed emission tests. The device is used by NASA and the El Paso Border Patrol, and has garnered a California State approval number. One more claim to fame: Weber said former "Gunsmoke" actor Dennis Weaver, who installed one on his new 1995 Chevy Blazer, wrote to say "how clean and simple it is to use, and how everybody should be using it."

The MaxImizer was invented in 1982 by Dr. Peter Kulish. "Basically, he discovered that if you put a negatively charged magnet on the air intake and radiator lines and two positively charged magnets on the fuel line, then when the fuel enters the combustion chamber, it converts to 100 percent octane," Weber explained. "There's no scale buildup in the engine and your car starts easier and runs smoother. You save 10 to 20 percent average in fuel costs, increase your horsepower by five to 10 percent, and reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 50 to 95 percent and hydrocarbon emissions by 83 percent."

In their natural state, Weber said, "both air and fuel carry a negative charge. When they enter the combustion chamber of your engine, they repel each other, allowing for the incomplete burn of fuel. [With the MaxImizer] the air is reinforced with a stronger negative charge so that the burn is enhanced to perform as stated. The MaxImizer reduces engine wear by increasing combustion efficiency. This reduces the unburned hydrocarbons blown by gasses that, through the pressure of combustion, get forced past the pistons' rings and into the oil, contaminating it."

A MaxImizer Kit costs $90 and contains four magnetic units for gas-driven cars (or three for diesel engines). Each magnet is backed by a plate that bounces the magnetic force back and forth through the air, fuel and water, in turn increasing the power of the force. Positive magnetic charge is forced into the fuel and coolant and negative magnetic rays are forced into the air, creating a "more complete burn," Weber said, "since the air and fuel attract each other and the way they line up makes room for more air to encompass the fuel."

According to Weber, "regardless of the type of fuel you now use, you only need 85/87 octane" once the MaxImizer is installed-even if your car's manual calls for premium fuel. "The first 1,000 miles of driving cleans out the varnish and carbon in the fuel system," he explained. "No more need for any additives such as injector cleaners…the spark plugs and valves are decarbonized, extending their life. After a week to 10 days of driving, the scales in the radiator, engine block, heater core and water pump will be dissolved completely."

Weber drives an aged Lincoln Continental, in which he installed a MaxImizer 16 years ago after hearing about Dr. Kulish's invention on a radio program about Nicola Tesla. "I bought it for the auto I cherish. I wanted to find out if it really worked. My Lincoln has made me money over so many years of having the MaxImizer installed," he said. "My Lincoln gave me nine to 12 mpg on 94 octane. Now I use 87 octane and get 16 to 19 mpg."

For more information, visit the MaxImizer's Web site at http://users.penn.com/~tomwflye/gas.htm. To order, call (888) 883-6007 or write to Tom Weber at PO Box 165, Altoona, PA 16603.