Biodiesel co-op offers greener, local alternative fuel
Flower Power set up member service in 2005
Mike and Joni Brewer, members of Flower Power Biodiesel Co-op in South Salem, pour used vegetable oil through a filter. Next, the oil will be poured into their truck's gas tank. / Dee Moore | Statesman Journal freelancer
Imagine walking out to your car a bottle of vegetable oil in hand. You take the lid off the bottle and pour it into your empty gas tank. You start your car and drive away.
For owners of cars with diesel engines, it's a real option.
To that end, in 2005 a group of residents formed a biodiesel co-op in South Salem called Flower Power. On Sept. 11, the members hosted a Biodiesel Drive-In: a car show, potluck dinner and movie to share knowledge about biodiesel.
"Annual membership dues are $35, and the current price per gallon for biodiesel is $4.48, including federal and state road taxes. We are open to new members," spokesperson James Santana said.
The co-op has 38 members who are all willing to pay more per gallon in a quest to create less pollution and to spend their money locally, Santana said.
"Members use biodiesel for different reasons: carbon reduction, building the local economy, foreign wars, Deepwater Horizon, Exxon-Mobil's record profits and the smell of donuts," Santana said, joking about members who use reclaimed cooking oil purchased from local restaurants.
The diesel engine, created in 1893, was meant to run on a variety of fuel sources.
One of the alternatives is vegetable oil, which can be used in nearly all diesel engines. Biodiesel, on the other hand, is a product produced from vegetable oil that also can be used in diesel engines.
The co-op purchases American Society of Testing and Materials-certified biodiesel made from99 percent recycled vegetable oil from Oregon-based Sequential-Pacific Biodiesel.
Mike Romanini, owner of Prestige Auto Repair and a biodiesel user, was on hand at the drive-In to answer mechanical questions about switching to biodiesel.
Romanini's shop works on Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Mini vehicles. Many of his customers have diesel engines in their cars. Half of those use biofuels, he said.
Romanini said that most of what he has learned about using biodiesel has come from his customers. He spends a lot of his time questioning them about their car's engine performance, gas mileage, repair issues and modifications.
"I talk to people. I am learning more from the people who use biodiesel," he said.
What he has found is that most of his customers have seen little change in their car's engine performance or gas mileage.
Switching to biofuels from fossil fuels does not require much effort, he said. All latex hoses must be replaced with synthetic ones, and most of the time, the vehicles need to be equipped with a heater to keep the fuel warm so it doesn't become thick and sluggish.
Some owners have found that biodiesel loosens gunk in the fuel lines, which then clogs the motor. Changing the fuel filter within the first month of biofuel use is recommended by many.
Joni and Mike Brewer of South Salem own a small farm, a few horses and a large Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck. They use the truck to haul a horse trailer and a camper. The truck runs on vegetable oil.
"I never really noticed a difference," Mike Brewer said, referring to his truck's engine performance.
The couple track mileage and have seen no change. The truck's speed and towing ability haven't changed either, they said.
Joni Brewer picks up non-hydrogenated, used cooking oil from a restaurant.
The pair processes the oil at home in the garage. Their system is simple but effective, and their filter is just a leg from a pair of blue jeans.
Although this grand experiment began as a way to save money, they are pleased with the difference they are making in the world.
"We are not putting out the pollutants," Joni Brewer said.
Copyright Statesman-Journal 2010
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100922/COMMUNITIES/108160006
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