For the last two years, Vince Olsen, superintendent of internal services for the village of Algonquin, Ill., has been making his dream a reality.

Used grease, previously seen as a useless nuisance, was once hesitantly and guiltily disposed of down the drain. But now, after preparing meals, citizens pour the liquid into a container, set it aside, and forget about it, knowing that a truck will soon arrive to take it away.

Testing the Waters
It was only natural for Olsen to experiment with biodiesel fuel. He’s been in the automotive and truck industry for 20 years, taken several chemistry courses to expand his workable knowledge of diesel engines, and has military experience. Spending a great deal of time next to a “Deuce-and-a-half” vehicle, Olsen often noticed a variety of alternative fuels listed on the side of the fuel tank. Years ago, that memory, a familiarity with the evolution of the biodiesel engine, and knowledge of the fundamentals of chemistry stirred Olsen’s curiosity. He simply couldn’t come up with a good reason why vegetable oil wouldn’t make a fine fuel source.

He had certainly read plenty of warnings. The National Biodiesel Board warns of using fuel containing more than 20-percent oil, explaining that this could potentially damage the engine.

Skeptical of his own skepticism, Olsen decided to experiment. Two years ago, he and his crew began testing with a 20-year-old John Deere tractor, affectionately called “Little John.”They kept checking the “heart” of Little John, and found nothing but the clean insides of a healthy engine. Olsen was confident enough to move forward, and began using vegetable oil as a supplement to the B-20 biodiesel running in Algonquin’s tractors, lawn mowers, Bobcats, and pickup trucks.

He found a noticeable change when the engines first started running on vegetable oil. “There is a process of time when you switch from a regular conventional petroleum diesel to a biodiesel product in which the bio seems to have a washing effect on the inside of the tanks,” Olsen says. “We went through a three-month period when the filters were plugged, but after that time frame, everything ran smooth as glass.” Today, Olsen reports no unusual problems with the engines.

Why Use Vegetable Oil?
Using vegetable oil as fuel has had a positive effect on cost-savings, the community, and the environment. Over the past two years, the use of vegetable oil has saved Algonquin more than 4,500 gallons of biodiesel, saving the village about $7,000.

Restaurants can draw significant revenue by making deals with oil companies to purchase used oil, but many food vendors in Algonquin have commented they prefer contributing to the well being of the community. B-20 fuel certainly isn’t bad, but using vegetable oil as an alternative, from time to time, is better for the environment and the health of the people. Olsen says after running on vegetable oil for a while, smoke stack emissions, and the general running of engines are a lot cleaner.

The city regularly has a few hundred gallons in storage, which comes in handy in a last-minute pinch. “We had a problem getting fuel throughout some of our snow storms in February because roads were closed. The fire department filled up in advance of the storm, and several hundred gallons were taken right off the back,” Olsen says. “Halfway through this extended snowstorm we were running out of fuel and trucks couldn’t get to us. We ended up turning to 300-400 gallons of processed vegetable oil, filled up the trucks inside, and managed to finish working through the next day’s snowstorm on vegetable oil entirely. So it became an excellent resource during emergency response.”

Cleaning the Used Oil
The process of preparing vegetable oil for use in diesel engines is simple, but it can be time-consuming compared to simply filling up with purchased fuel. It also requires a great amount of care. Donated oil is first poured into a large barrel and left untouched for at least two weeks to allow food particles to sink to the bottom as usable oil rises to the top. The oil is then run through a ten-micron filter, followed by a two-micron filter (the human eye cannot see holes smaller than 40 microns).

Skepticism and Support
Although people using vegetable oil in diesel engines have experienced no more problems than those using traditional diesel fuels, many remain suspicious. Restaurants owners haven’t always accepted Olsen with open arms when he began asking to recycle their used oil.

“Everyone is very aware that nothing is free, and everything has a potential catch. People are very cautious and I get that a lot. They wonder if I am up to something,” Olsen says.“I make sure I go in the appropriate attire, with a business card, in a village vehicle. The whole process has to be verifiable. It takes a little time.”

But for every group of skeptics, Olsen finds support from those who agree with his cause.He recounts the story of a gentleman in his early 70s who brought over a gallon-milk jug of vegetable oil he had used to deep fry a turkey.

“I wondered when someone would finally get to this,” the man told him. “I worked for a diesel plant and heavy fuels would generate so much energy, such a great fuel source. I just can’t believe it took so long for people to start realizing they could use it this way.”

Olsen is especially pleased with the enthusiasm the village government has for what he’s doing. “We have tremendous support from our village officials and board members.When they found out we were doing this, some came down here to see it,”Olsen says.“That really is the key; if your village board members and city government are not in tune with that mentality, then you’re done.”

Hoping for Progress
Using vegetable oil for fuel is cutting edge for fleets, and most aren’t sure what to think of it yet. Everyone has been using traditional petroleum fuel, and at first glance,many see the Village of Algonquin’s efforts as going against the grain. State rebates aren’t offered for use of vegetable oil, although state rebates are given out to those using up to 20-percent biodiesel.

Olsen hopes, with time, fleets and individuals will begin to catch on to the environmental benefits of using vegetable oil and realize it does no more engine harm than any other fuel.

“If you are concerned about air quality and the cost of fuel, if you want to reduce your dependency on petroleum fuels and are willing to accept the fundamentals of chemistry (everything ignites once it’s compressed), you can’t make an argument against it. You have to be willing to change.”