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By MICHAEL SOUZA
NARRAGANSETT – Beginning last week, area restaurants kicked off efforts to help fuel a greener Rhode Island. It didn’t require any great action or expenditure, or even involve construction or additional equipment. All it took was a little awareness and the right price; it was free. It concerns waste vegetable oil, the kind used in frialators. Consider it waste no longer, thanks to Newport Biodiesel.
The Aquidneck Island company is represented by Ryan Murphy, collections manager. “We’ve been in business for only a couple of years and already we service about 150 restaurants. It’s a very popular alternative for them,” he said. Recently, Murphy has been trying to expand their coverage area because the demand for their finished product, biodiesel, is so high. “We’re starting to make some inroads into the area. We hope to serve many restaurants in South County,” he said. So far, Leo’s Pizza, Mariner Grille, Spain and the Wheel House have entered into agreements with the company. More are certain to follow. And why not? Newport Biodiesel supplies each restaurant with waste oil collection barrels and will provide new ones when needed. They’ll collect the oil as often as necessary and maintain the barrel area as well. They also offer 24 hour emergency service, and the entire service is free of charge. When you consider many restaurants would pay hundreds of dollars each month to have the oil hauled for disposal, Newport Biodiesel is an attractive alternative. But that’s only the beginning. “When we receive the oil the first thing we do is filter the impurities,” said Production Manager Nat Harris. “After that it goes through several processes. The end product is called B100 biodiesel, meaning pure, straight biodiesel. It can be used directly in diesel fuel applications such as car, truck and boat engines with no alterations to the equipment,” said Harris. “It also has some solvent properties, so it tends to keep engines cleaner that regular diesel fuel,” he said. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics, other advantages when compared to conventional fuel. “There’s a difference between biodiesel and raw vegetable oil. Biodiesel goes through refining, which we do here in Newport. The glycerin is removed from the oil. Because of this process it can be used directly in a diesel engine,” he said. Biodiesel must meet the American Society for Testing and Materials D6751 standards for manufacturing and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. Raw vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications In winter when the thermometer dips below 40 degrees, the company produces its B20 grade called Bioheat, consisting of 20 percent biofuel and 80 percent home heating ( No. 2) fuel oil. “When it gets that cold, the B100 can gel. By switching to B20, that issue is eliminated,” said Harris. The mixture is popular in Europe and has been thoroughly tested by the Brookhaven National Laboratory, US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab and the National Oilheat Research Alliance. The product has gained acceptance in the northeast. Newport Biodiesel has a partnership with T.H. Malloy, a heating oil company that has been in business for 60 years, to carry the B20 Bioheat. They have also joined with R.B. Queern & Co. of Newport to help maintain home heating systems. “Business is great. It’s going faster than we can make it,” said Harris. For more information, contact Newport Biodiesel at 846-1117.
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