Eric Austin, employee of Bio-Diesel of Michigan Inc., checks to see the glycerin begin to separate from vegetable oil, which will then be biodiesel.
A local restaurant owner and his employee are cooking more than food these days — they’re also mixing up fuel.
Lansing residents Arturo Santa Cruz and Eric Austin are taking used vegetable oil from restaurants like Santa Cruz’s El Azteco, 225 Ann St., in order to produce biodiesel.
Since 1993, Santa Cruz said he has been reusing the vegetable oil from his restaurant that had been used for frying tortilla chips to make the biodiesel, which he then uses to power his Lansing tortilla factory.
Biodiesel is a fuel derived from animal fats or vegetable oils.
“I feel a lot better knowing that I’m not contributing to climate change,” Santa Cruz said.
“My fuel bill is substantially lower. We use the soy (oil) to cook food. Now at that point we can take the fuel out and convert it to biodiesel.”
The biodiesel is made in his barn, fueling his cars, maintenance vans, delivery vans, tractors and diesel generators, he said.
“It’s more than 100 percent gain on something like that,” he said.
Three days a week, Austin, who also works at El Azteco, makes biodiesel out of the recycled vegetable oil he collects for free from four Lansing-area restaurants, including Woody’s Oasis Bar & Grill, 211 E. Grand River Ave.
Santa Cruz formed Bio-Diesel of Michigan Inc. Austin said they hope to expand the company to make more of their biodiesel soon.
During the hour-long process, Austin said he mixes the vegetable oil with methanol and lye.
After filtering out the glycerin byproduct, a ready-to-use biodiesel is formed, which is suitable for any normal diesel engine, he said.
Austin said he does not have a deep chemistry background. His knowledge comes from on-the-job experience and a copy of “From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel.”
“This is the greatest thing about it,” he said.
“It’s guys in their backyards and garages making fuel that the big oil companies aren’t.”
Vehicles running on biodiesel get about the same efficiency and gas mileage compared to those running on petroleum, he said.
The benefits of using recycled soy oil are that it is substantially cheaper, biodegradable and generates emissions that are 80 percent cleaner than petroleum, Austin said.
“Everything from the barrel of used grease to the end product is completely recyclable, clean to the environment and biodegradable,” he said. “We’re trying to take our carbon footprint off the map.”
Kim Mahrle, a state representative for petroleum suppliers, said Michigan is not doing enough to promote biodiesel.
“They’re setting an example by using it themselves in state vehicles where it’s available,” she said. “But nothing else is being done.”
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Dennis Miller, an MSU professor of chemical engineering and materials science, said biodiesel is the first generation of fuel made from plant oils.
“Recycled oils have grown in value, but there’s not enough recycled oils to satisfy a significant fraction of our fuel demand,” Miller said.
“It will be a part of the long-term solution to providing liquid fuels to Americans,” Miller said. “But it won’t be the only source of fuel for America.”
A combination of different renewable energy sources can cut dependence on foreign oil, Austin said.
“Gas prices are not going down,” he said.
“It’s up to the American consumer to stand up and change things themselves. It’s not time to trust in big companies and politics anymore.”
