It’s easy to assume that once you cook with vegetable oil, it will no longer be useful, and it’s best to properly dispose of it. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether you’re a home chef or run a commercial kitchen, your used vegetable oil is actually an important resource that can be transformed into Neste’s renewable fuel, an environmentally friendly alternative to standard diesel. Here, we explain how renewable fuel comes to fruition from used cooking oil and how West Coast cooks and businesses can contribute to the cause.
It All Starts with Recycling
In 2008, SeQuential began recycling used cooking oil – for free – from kitchens of all sizes in California, Oregon, and Washington. Since then, we’ve become one of the largest collectors of used cooking oil, and it’s all thanks to used vegetable oil that we refine to create this green form of fuel. Our process for used cooking oil recycling differs slightly for home chefs and commercial kitchens as described below:
Home Cooking Oil Recycling
Once your used oil or grease has cooled completely, pour it into an air-tight container with a secure lid. Then, bring it to one of our West Coast drop-off locations for used cooking oil and pour it into our designated collection containers. Close the lid to our container tightly, and then you’re done.
Commercial Cooking Oil Recycling
We serve restaurants, universities, zoos, stadiums, food processors, and many other businesses that use cooking oil. First, we’ll provide your establishment with a complimentary storage container for your used oil. We’ll also arrange a pick-up schedule based on your unique grease output. On the designated dates and times, one of our trucks will come to your location, empty your container, and transport your used cooking oil to one of our refineries.
Whichever way you recycle, remember that all of our collection containers are for used cooking oil only – not solids, garbage, or other materials.
The Transformation into Renewable Fuel
All of the used cooking oil we collect is first strained to remove any leftover contaminants, like food particles, and water. We continue with a multi-step filtering process to ensure only pure vegetable oil remains.
Once the oil has been completely filtered, the fuel, is made using a unique combination of hydrotreating and isomerization that enables a wide variety of low quality waste and residues to be turned into high-quality fuels and other renewable products. Regardless of which raw materials are used, the quality of the final HVO product is always the same. This is a big difference compared to biodiesel which is produced through an esterification process. This does not offer the same guarantee in quality as properties of FAME depend largely on what raw materials are used and can vary between producers. to be used with diesel-operated vehicles and machinery.
The Final Product: Eco-Friendly Renewable Fuel
Neste’s renewable fuel is an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum diesel, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75% gas emissions. It’s also sustainable because the fuel from used cooking oil is made completely with renewable resources. It is locally sourced from businesses along the West Coast, the production of the renewable fuel is supporting the economies in the regions we serve. To learn more, contact us today.