WSARE 2000 Farmer/Rancher Grants-FW00-014

Title: On-Farm Biodiesel Production from Waste Vegetable Oil

Joseph Gabiou will create a biodiesel production system for farm equipment

Using fossil diesel fuel in farm equipment can be expensive. The money is paid to companies outside the local community, and with fossil fuels, farm fuel safety concerns arise. Joseph Gabiou of Independence Valley Farm in Rochester, Washington, is currently developing a farm-scale biodiesel production system with the help of a Western SARE Farmer/Rancher grant. Biodiesel is a non-toxic biodegradable diesel-like fuel made primarily from waste vegetable oil. When vegetable oil is heated and reacts with methanol, the result is biodiesel. Gabiou plans to use this fuel as an alternative to diesel in on-farm equipment.

According to Gabiou, burning this waste product reduces dependency on nonrenewable petroleum based fuels while significantly lowering emissions of particulates, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide when compared with conventional diesel fuel. He hopes that this experiment will convince other farmers to examine the feasibility of using biodiesel on their own farms. In the future, considerable interest among local farmers could lead to the formation of a cooperative biodiesel production facility, where a greater volume of biodiesel could be made at a lower cost.

Gabiou plans to build the biodiesel production system with commonly available materials--a stainless steel vat, a paint stirrer, a hot plate, a water heater, pumps, and vegetable oil waste collected from local restaurants. The resulting biodiesel will be tested by state emissions testers and in an analytic lab to ensure quality control. The entire biodiesel production system will also be estimated for cost. Gabiou plans to host a workshop at Independence Valley Farm to display the biodiesel reactor vessel. He will also post information on a web site, publish the results in a newsletter, and print a how-to packet for farmers interested in the technology.