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Food to Fuel
Pacific Biodiesel, I
Want fries with that fill up? With PacBio Biodiesel
you can. Hawaii-based Pacific Biodiesel, Inc. (PacBio)
converts recycled cooking oil into fuel that powers
generators, commercial equipment, vehicles, and marine vessels.
Biodiesel production diverts cooking oil from landfills, while its use
reduces emissions of major greenhouse gases and substances such as
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, haz-
ardous diesel particulates, and the acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide.
How It Works
Concerned about the possible negative environmental and human
health impacts of restaurant grease disposal, Robert King, owner of
King Diesel on Maui, Hawaii, went looking for alternatives. His search
led him to Daryl Reece of the University of Idaho, who helped devel-
op a method for converting used cooking oil to clean-burning fuel for
diesel engines. In 1996, King and Reece started a small biodiesel opera-
tion at the Central Maui Landfill—PacBio. Today, PacBio is recognized
by biodiesel authorities nationwide as one of the first commercially
viable biodiesel plants in the United States.
The method of collecting used cooking oil varies slightly depending on
location. On Maui, restaurants pay haulers to transport their used cook-
ing oil to the landfill facility. At the landfill, haulers
pay the county tipping fees of $47 per ton of cooking
oil and $89 per ton of grease trap waste. The county
then pays PacBio $75 per ton to recycle the waste.
As part of its agreement with the county, PacBio has
a rent-free lease at the landfill. Since the commercial
tipping fees cover most of the county's payment to
PacBio, the total cost to the county is minimal. On
Oahu, restaurants avoid a $1 per gallon disposal fee
by sending their waste cooking oil directly to PacBio.
What Makes PacBio Successful
Cost savings are one of the keys to PacBio's suc-
cess. Converting waste cooking oil into fuel is
much more cost-effective than shipping the waste
off-island for disposal. Diverting these wastes also
extends the ife of landfills and provides a secure,
local energy source.
PacBio's Maui operation recycles 80 tons of cooking
oil and 375 tons of grease trap waste per month—
equal to 200,000 gallons of oil and grease per year.
PacBio also works closely with Maui EKO Compost-
ing (also located at the landfill) to compost leftover
www.epa.gov/organicmaterials/fd-study.htm
solids and water, which results in a 100 percent waste diversion rate. The
Oahu plant diverts 188 tons of waste cooking oil and 655 tons of grease
trap waste per month. In 2000, PacBio further expanded operations
by building a new plant in Honolulu that processes 25,000 gallons of
grease trap waste and produces 1,500 gallons of biodiesel per day. Today,
PacBio facilities are operating in Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and Maryland.
Everyone Benefits
In addition to the county saving on disposal costs, island consumers
save on fuel costs. For example, in May 2006 Biodiesel sold for $2.84
per gallon on Maui and $2.91 per gallon on Oahu. At this time, petro-
leum diesel sold for $3.95 and $3.65 respectively at these locations, so
customers saw considerable cost savings using biodiesel.
The benefits of turning waste cooking oil into fuel extend well beyond
cost savings. Diverting waste cooking oil from landfills extends its life
and prevents harmful iquid waste from contaminating groundwater
supplies. Biodiesel processing plants also enrich the local economy
and provide a secure energy source.
Type of Recovery:
Industrial Use
Company: Pacific Biodiesel, Inc.
Commercial, community-scale biodiesel
producer
Web site: www.biodiesel.com
Cool Facts:
| PacBio's Maui and Oahu
operations divert and
convert 268 tons of
waste cooking oil
and 1,030 tons
of grease trap
waste each
month.
October 2006
EPA530-F-06-037
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