Vegetable oil may be the next source of power for Boston's public works fleet of trucks and maintenance equipment.
The City Council's Committee on Aviation and Transportation discussed the feasibility of using biodiesel, a diesel gas made from the city's waste vegetable oil, at a hearing Tuesday with local officials and interest groups.
"Really what we're dealing with is our future here," said Councilor-at-Large Felix Arroyo. "We need to consider the possibilities and feasibilities of alternative sources of fuel."
Biodiesel is a fuel created with vegetable oil or vegetable oil waste products combined with alcohol and a catalyst to make it combustible. Arroyo proposed the hearing after success with his own car, a diesel-fueled 1980 Mercedes-Benz now running on oil waste from a South Boston restaurant.
"Emissions are dramatically lower or reduced altogether," said Patrick Keaney, political consultant and co-founder of GreenGreaseMonkey.com, a group that specializes in alternative energies. "Production also creates local jobs in industry and agriculture."
Other benefits of biodiesel fuel include a sustainable form of energy, environmentally friendly emissions, decreased dependence on crude oil and economic growth in and around the Boston area. Biodiesel can be used in generators fueled by No. 2 diesel, the primary energy for engines and home heaters.
"All the materials and supplies needed [for production] can be bought from a local hardware store or chemical provider," said Jamie Merkle, a teacher and GreenGreaseMonkey.com co-founder. "There is no need for special licenses, just caution."
Converting an engine to biodiesel involves either small attachments, or sometimes nothing at all. Inexpensive technical adjustments include installation of another fuel tank and adjustment of fuel and coolant lines to convert a regular diesel car into a biodiesel car.
"Las Vegas has a fleet on oil coming from their restaurants and hotels," Merkle said. "They have quite the surplus of businesses, but so does Boston."
But not everyone who attended the hearing expressed confidence in the city's ability to transfer to biodiesel fuel - some residents were concerned about the high cost of creating a waste processor and transporting the waste needed to create the fuel.
"In terms of getting a bigger bang for our buck, I'm not sure biodiesel will get us where we want to be," said Bryan Glascock, director of Boston's Air Pollution Control Commission. "There is a long history of fryer fat collection in Boston, and for a lot of industries out here, it is how they make their living."
Restaurants and other businesses that create vegetable waste often have to pay to have waste oils removed from the site. Arroyo suggested the city remove the waste for free in the hopes of improving air quality overall.
"For the sake of people's lungs, the time is long past in which we should be looking into both short-term and long-term technologies," said Penn Loh, executive director of Alternatives for Community and Environment. "This is worth more than real money - we're already paying the costs to our health and in our healthcare system."
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