Sac Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign in the news!

Sacramento Biofuels Network and Sacramento Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign (Sac CORC) have been in the news many times throughout the past year. Our latest spot on television will give restaurants and food service organizations a picture for how they can participate in recycling their used cooking oil for local biodiesel production instead of going to feed cattle, which has been the conventional industrial marketplace for the used oil.

Which is the best use for the used cooking oil? Do we provide it to collectors who sell it to overseas markets or for cattle feed which makes cows sick? Or, do we recycle it for local biofuel providing a much needed RENEWABLE SOLUTION to our problem of depending on increasingly costly and diminishing petroleum sources?

Watch these video clips to learn how Sacramento Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign makes it easy to recycle your used cooking oil for locally produced, astm certified, commercial quality biodiesel B100 available locally. Better for the people, the cows, the community and the planet.

http://youtu.be/QJP_f7iimQ8     

http://youtu.be/WtKOmP4Sz3I

http://youtu.be/qqjzNODex80

http://youtu.be/yUhocMkb0Io

If you know any restaurants that could benefit from learning about this, send them this link. If you have a restaurant or simply want to learn more about this local recycling program contact Steve at 916-966-2375 or steve@theinfoexchange.org 


Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

Recycle Your Used Fryer Oil for Biofuels!

Q. What do I do with my used cooking oil after I fry my deep fried foods?

A. You can now RECYCLE your used fryer oil for local renewable biofuel production through our community recycling network called Sacramento Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign or Sac CORC. Restaurants and commercial food services can receive free on going collection services and anyone with quantities of 20 gallons or more can receive a free oil pick up. To participate in the Sacramento Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign call 916-966-2375.


Q. WHERE DO I TAKE MY USED HOME COOKING OIL FOR BIOFUELS RECYCLING?

A. Let the oil cool back down to room temp after frying, then drain it back into the container you purchased the oil in or a similar clean, leak proof container and call us for the nearest drop location in the Sacramento and outlying areas - 916-966-2375 or email steve@theinfoexchange.org


To become a seasonal or on-going drop off location email steve@theinfoexchange.org


Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

What is the Price for Biodiesel?

Whenever petroleum prices go into a noticeable or serious increase, our biodiesel buyers network, SBN, gets far more inquiries from price motivated people hoping to save money by buying biodiesel. Here are some common questions and answers regarding price:

What is the price for biodiesel?
"About the same or more than petro diesel" is the short answer, so buying commercially produced biodiesel through the open market supply and demand influences will not likely save a diesel driver any money over petro diesel.

Why would I buy biodiesel if it won't save me money?
There are many benefits to using biodiesel over petro diesel and, other than running a diesel engine, the two fuels have little in common so comparing them could be irrelevant. Biodiesel is an easy, inexpensive first step toward making energy solutions real now before petroleum reaches peak to avoid panic. Biodiesel supports local businesses and economy. Biodiesel is made from crops that are renewable for an ongoing but seasonally limited supply. Biodiesel emissions are non toxic. Biodiesel has a higher lubricity which helps the engine run smoother and longer. It is not necessary to invade countries or kill anyone to gain access to biodiesel. Biodiesel is primarily carbon neutral. Biodiesel smells good. Running on biodiesel is just plain fun!

Why is the price for biodiesel about the same or more than petro diesel?
As shoppers compare prices between the two fuels on the open market, some predictable principles of supply and demand prevail as long as buyers keep wanting the lowest price and sellers keep wanting the greatest profit. Unless there is some kind of intervening policy or behavior introduced, the price for biodiesel sold in these open market conditions cannot go below petro diesel prices without the biodiesel supply diminishing as buyers buy it up when the price is lower. A diminished biodiesel supply makes the value and price go up for any remaining feedstock oil (what biodiesel is made from) in turn causing the biodiesel price to go up until it is equal to or greater than petro diesel prices causing the buying frenzy to taper off. Whenever the petro prices have risen above the biodiesel prices, the entire biodiesel supply gets purchased quickly by price shoppers leading to shortage related market and pricing phenomenon taking hold throughout the supply and manufacturing process. This phenomenon is even leading to bidding wars for the waste restaurant cooking oil in many areas.

How can I save money with biodiesel?
Making biodiesel ourselves is one way of being in control of our costs, either individually or collectively, by getting out of the open market supply and demand influences. This still leaves the feedstock and methanol costs to deal with unless we grow and make those ourselves too. It is also possible to organize individuals and groups to purchase biodiesel collaboratively, as we do through Sac Biofuels Network, which makes buying and delivery more efficient to help bring the cost down.

SBN assists people to both make biodiesel and buy it collaboratively and more efficiently. Contact Steve Bash at steve@theinfoexchange.org or 916-966-2375 if either of these options interests you.


[Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

Midtown Supply Site Accepting New Members!

UPDATE 6/11/09: NOW FULL - NOT ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS. Contact Steve Bash at steve@theinfoexchange.org or 916-966-2375 about biodiesel availability.

SBN welcomes the newest Supply Site on C St in midtown Sacramento to offer biodiesel B99.9 to registered members.

Contact Kevin at ... to sign up as a member and begin fueling your vehicle with biodiesel.

[Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

What is Sacramento Biofuels Network? (Update)

Here is an update describing what SBN is all about these days.

Sacramento Biofuels Network, SBN, was formed to assist people in implementing energy options beyond dependency on nonrenewable petroleum starting with establishing local access to commercial quality biodiesel in the Sacramento area.

SBN services include biodiesel consumer education, organizing Buyers Groups and coordinating bulk biodiesel delivery for a variety of network members. The network is currently made up of biodiesel bulk purchasers, called Supply Sites, who purchase pure commercial quality biodiesel (B100) in bulk through SBN utilizing suitable above ground bulk containers, usually 250 to 2000 gallon, to store and dispense the fuel.

The two basic types of SBN Supply Sites are:

Independent Supply Sites, who purchase biodiesel in bulk for their own in-house or personal needs including agricultural, commercial and institutional organizations and fleets.

Buyers Group Supply Sites, where a Site Host provides space for storing and dispensing a bulk quantity of biodiesel to share with friends or other individual buyers who become members of that Supply Site. All Buyers Group members must read and sign a site specific version of a Biodiesel Buyers Agreement (sample provided by SBN) to be a member and purchase the biodiesel from that site cooperatively.

The Buyers Group Supply Sites are organized like the Community Supported Agriculture model which we call Community Supported Energy, CSE. This CSE distribution model is an effective way to bring individual consumers together to exchange information, develop mutual interests and to utilize their collective purchasing power for choices in fuel access, bulk pricing and related cooperative consumer benefits.

SBN assists members in gaining access to biodiesel, setting up Supply Sites, meeting legal requirements and understanding basic biodiesel use and handling guidelines. Once set up, a Supply Site can make a bulk biodiesel purchase through the SBN coordinator who aggregates the order quantities and organizes them for efficient delivery, to make minimum delivery requirements and to achieve collective bulk quantity price breaks. The biodiesel is delivered to each Supply Site by refilling their containers from the selected distributor’s commercial tanker truck. The manufacturers and distributors who supply SBN Supply Sites are selected by a list of buying priorities starting with their ability to verify fuel quality according to national standards as the number one priority.

SBN Coordinator: Steve Bash, 916-966-2375, steve@theinfoexchange.org


[Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

BIODIESEL vs SVO

Biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO) are not the same thing. They are two different substances that will both serve as a fuel in a diesel engine. When you are shopping for your diesel vehicle, please be aware that you do NOT have to “convert” or modify a diesel car to run on BIODIESEL. SVO, however, does require modifications or "conversion kits", usually involving heaters, to run safely in a diesel engine.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil to be thinner than vegetable oil so it will flow in the fuel lines more easily than SVO and can run in any stock diesel engine without any modifications or “conversions” to the vehicle. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil by chemically "thinning" the vegetable oil into a new substance which has similar flow characteristics to conventional petroleum diesel.

If you want to run your diesel vehicle on SVO, that DOES require modifications or converting the vehicle to deal with the flow and combustion problems caused from the thickness of vegetable oil, especially in cooler temperatures. The conversion usually involves adding heating devises at locations along the fuel system to heat the oil to thin it so it will flow smoothly and ignite properly in the engine.

Biodiesel is already thinned enough to run in any diesel vehicle without any conversions or heaters added to the vehicle.

Contact the blog host, Steve Bash, for info on SVO and conversions.

[Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]

New Biodiesel Supply Site in Sacramento! -Now full

Sacramento Biofuels Network now has another biodiesel supply site (now at membership capacity) contact Steve Bash at steve@theinfoexchange.org or 916-966-2375 for info on how to purchase biodiesel.

If you are ready to start using biodiesel and this new location is convenient for you, I suggest you sign up soon to become a member before this Buyers Group too, reaches their membership capacity. (especially since their fillup hours are the most convenient so far)

24th St Sacramento/dsb Biodiesel Coop

Member Registration/Membership Coordinator: David s Baker
Phone: Now at member capacity
Email:

SBN Biodiesel Supply Site Location:
24th St near Broadway Sacramento, CA 95818
Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 6:00 pm


SBN now has five Buyers Group Supply Sites at membership capacity serving biodiesel users all over the greater Sacramento area, plus this new one filling up fast. SBN also serves a growing number of Independent Supply Sites, throughout the Sacramento valley and foothills areas, who purchase biodiesel through SBN in bulk for their personal, agricultural or business fleet use.

If you are interested in purchasing biodiesel individually by the tank full or in bulk independently or as a Buyers Group Host or learning more about what is required to set up a biodiesel Supply Site in general, contact Steve Bash at steve@theinfoexchange.org or 916-966-2375.


[Technorati tags: biodiesel, Sacramento]