Vegetable Oil – A Vegan Fuel Solution?

The global livestock industry makes a greater contribution to global warming than transport, however transport emissions should still be minimised.

As well as reducing distances travelled, as part of a calorie controlled transport diet, vehicles can run on waste or locally produced vegetable oil.

  • Waste cooking oil is currently the most sustainable transport fuel available.
  • Oil-seed crops are currently fed to livestock, wasting most of their energy value.
  • The use of vegetable oil as a fuel has a much reduced effect on global warming. When plants grows they absorbs CO2 from the air. When the oil from the seed is burnt it releases the CO2 back into the air.
  • Waste oil can be reused as a fuel, a beneficial alternative to other disposal options.
  • Rapeseed oil can be grown locally, reducing the energy used in transportation.
  • Rapeseed oil can be grown organically saving the use of artificial fertilisers, and the substantial energy used to produce them.
  • As our dependence on animal products is reduced, land and farming skills can be better applied to growing oil bearing plants for (reduced) transport needs.

Other good reasons for using vegetable oil

  • Using waste oil actually reduces CO2 emissions as it is a recycled product.
  • If the transport and processing of oilseed is itself powered using veg oil, the ongoing supply is practically CO2 neutral.
  • Rapeseed oil is sulphur dioxide free, so doesn’t cause acid rain.
  • Rapeseed oil can be grown in the winter months when some fields remain empty.
  • Nitrous oxide emissions can also be lower especially when grown organically.
  • Future plant oil sources are being trialled, including algae grown in lakes in the sea or in tanks in the desert.
  • Vegetable oil is non toxic, biodegradable and save to handle.
  • Using vegetable oil spares crude oil for future uses.
  • There are no waste products in the making of vegetable oil.
  • It takes less energy to produce vegetable oil. The oil only has to be squeezed from the seed.
  • It is more eco-friendly than biodiesel,as biodiesel has to have chemicals and heat added to convert it, taking up to 25 times as much energy to produce.
  • It is a good cash crop for farmers to grow, an efficient alternative to animal products.
  • Growing of rapeseed does not have to be subsidised, saving tax payers’ money.
  • The use of vegetable oil as a fuel in a car is a much safer option, as it will not ignite until it reaches around 300 degrees C.
  • The smell of burning vegetable oil is less unpleasant than diesel.
  • Vegetable oil is non toxic, and safe to handle.
  • Using vegetable oil as a fuel can also save you money.

You do not need to buy a new car to be kinder to the environment. In fact converting older cars will save large amounts of energy from being used to produce a new car.

Veggie Power, (a vegan business), can sell you a kit or convert your vehicle for you. See www.veggiepower.co.uk

Veggie Power are available to give talks or demonstrations at events, and run conversion courses at the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire. Ph:01730823166