Edible Oil producing bio-diesel

Waste oils or fats changed into transport fuel

Edible Oil Refining Co. Ltd is producing bio-diesel, an environment-friendly fuel produced from any vegetable oil or fat, and hopes to eventually sell it to the public.

Following testing, bio-diesel has been certified to be in conformity with the normal specifications of diesel.

The company, which produces edible oils for local and export markets, has been collecting waste oils from catering establishments over the past nine months, its commercial manager, Pippo Psaila said.

Its vehicles are already being powered by bio-diesel.

It has so far produced 200 tonnes and its plant at Marsa could produce 18,000 tonnes a year.

Mr Psaila explained that the only reason the company was not producing the maximum quantities was due to the scarcity of the raw materials. Vegetable oils were disposed of down drains and at the landfill instead of being collected, he said, adding that a culture change was required.

Mr Psaila said the company needed to find a means to increase the supply and augured that the Environment Ministry would apply and enforce existing laws on the disposal of oils and fat.

He spoke of the need for a "concerted and strategic plan" on how to recover the oils from catering establishments and, particularly, households.

Otherwise, it would have to explore the importation of raw materials from overseas companies specialised in the collection of waste oils.

The company and the environment and resources ministries had been discussing the provision of adequate containers for the collection of the oils, which would be supplied and picked up from households.

There are also discussions about focusing on the collection of oils when the campaign of waste separation at source starts.

The ministries are assisting in the collection and the testing phase of the oils, which are being used on two government vehicles. The intention is to eventually sell the diesel to the public.

One of the major advantages of bio-diesel is that cars do not need to be adapted.

From the environment point of view, bio-diesel offers several benefits. While fossil diesel emits gases that cause global warming, bio-diesel entails clean burning: no pollutants, including gases that cause global warming, are emitted.

From the health point of view, bio-diesel does not contain sulphur, which is found in normal diesel and which, apart from corroding engines, is carcinogenic.

As regards engine performance, using bio-diesel is the same as using conventional diesel in terms of consumption, horse power, torque and haulage rates.

Speaking about costs, Mr Psaila said that whether bio-diesel would be more expensive than fossil diesel depended on the taxes the government would introduce on it.

"A clean environment costs money, but it should not be a burden on the consumer," he said.

Bio-diesel has taken off worldwide, especially in the EU which even has a directive requiring that two per cent of road transport fuel would be from bio sources by 2005.

The directive also states that by 2010, the figure would rise to six per cent, which is significant, considering the high level of diesel consumption, Mr Psaila said.

It has been reported that in Europe, motorists consume 250 million gallons of bio-diesel annually. In Germany, 1,600 petrol stations sell bio-diesel, while in the US, the armed forces run all their vehicles on the product.

From 500,000 gallons of bio-diesel produced in 2000, the US increased production to 6.7 million gallons last year. Projections for production in 2002 amount to 20 million gallons.

The only reason why production in the US was picking up fast, but at a slower pace than in Europe, was because the latter was a major producer of petroleum, Mr Psaila explained.

"We are not re-inventing the wheel, but merely introducing bio-diesel in Malta. Even just one litre of bio-diesel in the environment is a one-litre gain for the environment," Mr Psaila said.