Cooking oil to fuel Bristol bus The Chipper
The next time you buy fish and chips for tea, the oil they were cooked in could fuel your bus ride home.
The latest addition to First's bus fleet due to hit the road will be fuelled by biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil.
Branded "The Chipper", the single decker bus is part of a six-month trial to see if frying oil can be cost effective.
Southville-based company McKeown Bio Fuels will collect the waste oil from a number of businesses which are sponsoring the trial, including Bishopston Fish Bar in Gloucester Road, Teohs pan-Asian restaurants, and First's own canteen at the depot in Easton Road.
McKeown – the company that won the Evening Post's award for sustainable business last year – will then add chemicals and convert the oil into biodiesel.
The biodiesel is then used to fuel the bus, without the need to convert the vehicle.
The bus – a 1998 Dennis Dart – will run on the No.73 route, between the city centre and Cribbs Causeway, passing many of the businesses supporting the project along the way.
Anyone stuck in traffic behind the bus will be able to smell a faint aroma of chips from the vehicle exhaust. The bus also sports another first for First, a full colour route display on the front of the vehicle.
People can support the project directly by donating their own waste cooking oils at either of the city's household waste recycling centres.
John Bickerton, engineering project manager for First UK Bus, said: "As well as being a near carbon-neutral fuel source, biodiesel made from waste cooking oil can produce less carbon monoxide when it is burnt, so it is considered better for the environment than conventional diesel.
"During this project we'll be closely monitoring the emissions produced by The Chipper, examining them every 28 days.
"If it is shown that the vehicle produces less smoke as a result of running on biodiesel, that would be very good news."
At the end of the six-month trial the company will consider whether it is cost effective to roll out the fuel to the rest of its fleet.
The buses require about 600 litres of biodiesel to run every week.
The 100 per cent biodiesel bus is one of a package of green initiatives First has been looking at. Others include vehicles that automatically shut off after four minutes of being idle and environmentally friendly tyres.
Justin Davies, managing director of First in Bristol, said: "We welcome any opportunity to trial new or alternative technologies, particularly if in doing so we're able to reduce our own impact on the environment.
He added: "It will also be interesting to see what local bus users think of the trial."
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by Karen Baxter, Bristol
Thursday, May 14 2009, 12:58PM
“In response to Tony's point, it is worth stressing that the vehicles collecting the waste cooking oil also run on 100% biodiesel. The waste oil is being collected and processed by a Bristol-based bio fuels company, who, incidentally, were named the most sustainable business last year (Evening Post Business Awards). Thanks to everyone else who has left positive comments regarding this project: it's good to know it's being recieved well.”
by Tony, Bristol
Friday, May 08 2009, 5:10PM
“Ace ! your response is the most incredible garbage I have ever read, you clearly know a "BIT" but you know what they say little knowledge is dangerous!somebody has brain washed you, shall we just start with carbon off set: vehicles have to collect the used oil, and guess what they mainly depend on fossil fuels, along with the equipment that uses energy ie:Electricity along with a chemical reaction to produce it, I could go on but you clearly are not worth the effort.
It is proved already that BIO fuels are not the answer to carbon offset, if it was why are there not more big companies producing it and the government engaging ~BIG TIME?~
Wake up Ace all in the name of publicity.”
by Ace, Bristol
Friday, May 08 2009, 10:45AM
“Tony, you are talking absolute rubbish, when you state that the production of Bio Diesel causes more harm to the environment than conventional diesel. Bio Chemistry degree or not, you clearly know nothing about the subject.
The two chemicals used in the production of bio diesel are Sodium Hydroxide (castic soda)and Methanol.
Once these chemicals are added to the waste cooking oil a reaction takes place which seperates the glycerol elements from the oil. The glycerol, which contains the reacted sodium hydroxide and methanol used, is drained off. The oils is then washed and dried using recycled water and fresh air. The waste product Gycerol is used to make soap and also as a fuel to heat industrial boilers.
First bus are only using waste cooking oil, not fresh cooking oil. It is turning a waste product, which happens to be virtually carbon neutral into a fuel that gives out far less harmful emmisions the fossil diesel and that is a scientific fact verified by many bio chemists around the world!
This is a great initiative, if more companies did things like this perhaps our city wouldn't be so choked with fumes.
Furthermore, bio diesel is more expensive (at the moment) than fossil diesel, so I suspect that the fares won't be reduced just yet. Perhaps First Bus could give discounted travel on the bus if people donate their waste cooking oil?
So, stop your whining, pull your digit out and help out!”
by Tony, Bristol
Thursday, May 07 2009, 8:22PM
“This is interesting First bus now trying to con us into thinking it is interested in the envirironment, and being green, what they are not telling you is it ismore of a publicity stunt to use so called bio fuels that it is already proved " check out scientific publications " that actualy cause more damage to the environment because of the productions methods used to produce the fuel, but hey we are all stupid to believe what they say, you wont fool me sorry I was not born yesterday.
I have a degree in bio chemistry!! and know better.”
by Shh, cupboard under the stairs!
Thursday, May 07 2009, 2:21PM
“So does this mean the fares will be 'cheap as chips?'”