In response to a number of emails requesting additional information on converting Brown Grease or Grease Trap FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) into fuel, I’ve developed in my opinion, the pros and cons of the various methodologies, which I see with the current grease reduction systems.  Uses range from alternate biodiesel sources to heating oil and aircraft fuel.   Brown grease is waste vegetable oil, animal fat, grease, etc. that is recovered from a waste water component. It is the grease that is removed from wastewater sent down a restaurant’s sink drain, is contaminated and considered unsuitable for re-use in most applications, until now.

Before we look at the various types of FOG to Fuel methodologies, being developed, let’s look at defining the problem.

Hazardous brown grease discharge damages the sewer system infrastructure, producing blockages that result in sewage spills into streams, lakes, rivers, oceans, and underground water reserves. These spills not only cause recreational water location closures but also endanger public health. The sources of the blockages are rigorously investigated by city, state, and often time’s federal agencies, and the “owners” of the waste at source, when found, incur huge costs.

Many cities, counties and states have now implemented (as required under the Federal Clean Water Act and US EPA Grease Management Regulations) grease management measures, typically involving the mandatory installation grease trap. Grease traps (also known as grease interceptors, and grease recovery devices) are plumbing devices designed to intercept most greases and solids before they enter a grease reduction system. These in theory trap some of the grease but need to be regularly inspected and vacuum pumped. To the food establishment, there may be constant unpleasant odors from Hydrogen Sulfide gases in the grease trap, and the risk of six figure fines and cleanup costs if it should overflow due to clogging or poor maintenance.

According to the Energy Information Administration – the conversion of FOG to Fuel also has some performance disadvantages. The performance of biodiesel in cold conditions is markedly worse than that of petroleum diesel, and biodiesel made from yellow grease is worse than soybean biodiesel in this regard. At low temperatures, diesel fuel forms wax crystals, which can clog fuel lines and filters in a vehicle’s fuel system. The “cloud point” is the temperature at which a sample of the fuel starts to appear cloudy, indicating that wax crystals have begun to form. At even lower temperatures, diesel fuel becomes a gel that cannot be pumped. The “pour point” is the temperature below which the fuel will not flow. The cloud and pour points for biodiesel are higher than those for petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel regardless of the feedstock’s origin may contain small quantities of water. Although it is not miscible with water, it is, like ethanol, hygroscopic (absorbs water from atmospheric moisture). One of the reasons biodiesel can absorb water is the persistence of monoglycerides and diglycerides left over from an incomplete reaction. These molecules can act as an emulsifier, allowing water to mix with the biodiesel. In addition, there may be water that is residual to processing or resulting from storage tank condensation. When the biodiesel blender tax credit expired on Dec. 31, 2009, as the health care reform dominated the legislative agenda, petroleum marketers are actively managing the loss of the $1 per gallon credit, the will result in higher retail customers costs for biodiesel in 2010.

How viable is FOG to Fuel today?

Several Cities (San Francisco) have started a FOG to Fuel program pilot as part of their grease reduction systems efforts; none to date ; as of the time of this post, have successfully implemented a program, nor have ordinances been passed by the city government to mandate FOG producers to implement a FOG to Fuel process as part of their waste management or grease reduction system efforts.

Brown grease comprises water, food solids and free-oil, also known as Yellow Grease. Current studies performed by the NC State as well as the City of San Francisco indicate that approximately 10,000 gallons of collected brown grease will convert to approximately 5% of biodiesel or 500 gallons, derived from Yellow Grease and Tallow. Tallow is the raw material for the production of biodiesel and other oleochemicals (Oleochemicals are chemicals derived from plant and animal fats. They are analogous to petrochemicals which are chemicals derived from petroleum). Historically, tallow was used to make tallow candles, which were a cheaper alternative to wax candles, animal feed, soap, cooking grease, and as a bird food.

The bulk of the brown grease is water, up to 75%. The water can be cleaned on site and re-introduced into the open water system; used on site as an alternate water source, for steam, or any other requirements where water is needed. Current processes have the ability to create a cleaner water sources than are coming from the city’s water treatment facilities, without the introduction of chemicals, such as chlorine.

Approximately 15 % of the remaining solids from the brown grease are considered organic waste, or roughly 195 pounds. The organic waste can be used in a bioremediation, a process that uses microbes to recycle organic materials and return the mass to soil treatment or organic fertilizer, leaving ~5% of waste that will be sent to the dump.

Affordable Bio Feedstock, Inc. has developed a FOG to Fuel program in Kissimmee, Florida. “In addition to creating biofuels, the company also converts food solids into fertilizer or animal feedstock. The company has developed a Thermal Depolymerization technology, which allows them to separate its contents (oil, organic solids and water) into three commercially marketable products: brown grease, nutrient rich organic solids and nutrient rich water. The plant will process 50,000 gallons of grease trap waste per day.” As Affordable Bio Feedstock comes on line, we’ll follow their progress, and keep you posted.

Cost of Diesel Fuel VS Biodiesel

The typical historical price of soybean oil indicates that the raw feedstock (the primary ingredient of the fuel) costs would range between $1.50 and $2.10 per gallon. This would be compared to raw feedstock costs for ethanol from corn of $0.74 to $1.11 per gallon if corn prices were $2 or $3 per bushel, respectively.

Yellow grease is much less expensive than soybean oil  and trades for around f $1.09 – $1.10 per gallon, but its supply is limited, and it has uses other than fuel—for example, yellow grease is used as an animal feed additive and in the production of soaps and detergents. From 1993 to 1998, the average supply of yellow grease in the United States was 2.633 billion pounds, enough to make 344 million gallons (22,440 barrels per day) of biodiesel. However, it is assumed that competing uses would limit biodiesel production from yellow grease to 100 million gallons per year (6,523 barrels per day).

In comparison, the cost of crude oil, the raw feedstock for petroleum-based fuels, ranges from $1.19 per gallon for $50 per barrel oil to $1.67 per gallon for $70 per barrel oil. Thus, the soy oil feedstock costs for biodiesel are substantially higher than for the conventional feedstock, putting biodiesel at a cost disadvantage to conventional diesel. Retail prices as of November/December 2009 indicated that petroleum-based diesel was ~$2.75 in the Gulf Coast. These fuel charges do not include the biodiesel blender tax credit that expired on Dec. 31, 2009.

Industry experts indicated that using vegetable matter is a voluminous venture. It takes 1 bushel or 66 lbs of soy beans, to create about 11 lbs of soy oil (1.4 gal) after crushing, which through transesterification produces 9.2 lbs (1.25 gal) of B100.  Yellow grease is less expensive, provided a stable supply can be obtained, requiring a nominal cleansing process.

What we pay for in a gallon of Diesel

Explanation of Terms

Diesel Fuel Pump Data History

Yellow Grease VS Brown Grease pros and cons

Yellow grease is distinct from brown grease, as yellow grease is typically used-frying oils from deep fryers, whereas brown grease is sourced from grease interceptors, or grease traps. Yellow grease can also refer to lower-quality grades of tallow from rendering plants, as described above. Yellow grease is recovered, traded as a marginally valuable commodity, and has traditionally been used to spray on roads as dust control, or as animal feed additive, but has become a feedstock for biodiesel production. Although most biodiesel is produced from renewable plant sources, yellow grease is attractive because it is inexpensive and its use converts waste into fuel

Brown Grease, on the other hand is plentiful, and created daily. The main potential customers are biofuel refineries which are now struggling due to high price of feedstock. According to the USDA on Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment the average person creates 8.87 lbs/year in Yellow grease primarily from recycled cooking oil; 13.37 lbs/person/year, of FOG in sewage lines, with an estimated landfill tipping fees of up to 11 cents/gal. This means that the US consumer in an average sized city of ~170,000 produces 3,800,000 pounds of waste grease annually, or the equivalent of 495,000 gallons of waste.

The yield of feedstock from brown grease waste, would be  approximately 24,750 gallons of biodiesel annually, assuming the assumptions provided by NC State and City of San Francisco are correct; also making Affordable Bio Feed Stock – feed stock to 250 gallons of biofuels, based on 50,000 gallons of waste per day.

When considering the  ROI on brown grease processing as a fuel source, one should take into account that the return is greater than the relatively small earning when compared to a petrochemical refinery, if you consider the benefits to the environment, reduction of waste to the landfill, conversion of a waste product into both a fuel source and an organic medium, such as fertilizer or a soil conditioning agent.  Additionally, cities will embrace the conversion of FOG to Fuels concept because, pumping trucks while emptying a grease trap or grease inceptors, are unsightly, foul smelling and noisy, and must dispose of the waste which ends up as sludge in a landfill, either via detour through a wastewater treatment plant or directly. This is simply moving the problem of toxic waste to another location. The EPA, via the Clean Water Act, prohibits the moving of an environmental problem and mandates a proper resolution.

When breaking down 10,000 gallons 1,303 pounds of waste, using the industry average of 5% biodiesel, 75% water, 15% Bioremediation, and 5% waste described above, instead of paying $143, in waste processing hauling fees every 30 – 90 days, you generate $1,537 in savings or offset to current expenses. The savings to the Cities infrastructure is even greater. About 50 percent of all sewer emergencies are caused by grease blockages and cost the city governments between $1 and $5 million a year for cleanups, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. State and Federal fines can add an additional $1 million for not cleaning the spill in a timely manner. The high price and environmental impact of land-based biofuel feedstock, including palm oil for diesel and cereals for ethanol, indicate that an effective technological answer to the problems of scaling up brown-grease, as well as algae production will establish a strong commodity market.

The oil industry and other partners have ready access to capital and expertise to promote and implement the a brown grease FOG to Fuel implementation, and partners in various markets are poised and ready to assist in the Landfill, waste processors, and a wastewater treatment facilities. New technologies are being developed quickly that leverage new Grease Separation Methodologies – Hydrolysis, Heat, Mechanical Separation – Centrifugal, Chemical Treatment, or methanol as a reactant or catalyst.

TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program is geared toward the consumer market, but there may be assets, such as failed business real estate that is backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that are available to purchase at significantly reduce costs.

Current Tax Credit for Energy Production from ARRA – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

On Feb. 13, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at the urging of President Obama, who signed it into law four days later. A direct response to the economic crisis, the Recovery Act has three immediate goals:

1. Create new jobs as well as save existing ones
2. Spur economic activity and invest in long-term economic growth
3. Foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending

The Recovery Act intends to achieve those goals by:

• Renewable Energy Power: Guarantees up to $60 billion in loans for renewable energy power generation and electric transmission projects that begin in the next two years. These guaranteed loans would help ease credit constraints for investors in a range of renewable energy systems and projects such as wind or solar projects, electricity transmission projects and “leading edge biofuels projects.”
• Tax Credit for Renewable Energy: Extends for three years the production tax credit (PTC) for electricity derived from wind (through 2012) and for electricity derived from biomass (through 2013). Wind energy projects are already creating new jobs in rural communities in manufacturing, transportation, and project construction. Another key to energy independence could come in the form of corncobs, cornstalks, switchgrass, agricultural waste and byproducts, and other types of biomass including woody biomass from forests, which are spread across America and can be converted into clean renewable energy sources.
• Easing Credit Crunch for Renewable Energy: Provides grants of up to 30 percent of the cost of building a new renewable energy facility in 2009 and 2010 or permits that business to claim a 30 percent investment credit instead of a production tax credit. This will be helpful for those seeking to build plants to process biofuels – a crucial element of our plan to end our dependence on foreign oil.
• Research: Invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D), including $800 million for biomass.
• Alternative Fuel Pumps: Increases tax incentives to install pumps that dispense alternative fuels including E85, biodiesel, hydrogen, and natural gas. More of these fuel pumps are needed to grow the market for biofuels, America’s homegrown energy source.

No related posts.