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Waste Oil To Energy Converter: New ways to deal with old waste
Mara Severin PNA contributing writer
If somebody told you that there was a way to turn garbage into money, would you be interested? According to Les Roe, president of Arctic Industrial and Automotive Inc., there is a way. He is proud of the latest waste oil blending technology distributed by his company. Known as the Waste Oil To Energy Converter, i.e. WOTEC, the equipment filters waste oil and blends it with new fuel, resulting in a mixture that can be used in a diesel engine or other fuel-burning device.
“It’s a win-win investment,” said Roe. “Use of WOTEC results in lower fuel costs and greater safety for the environment. A gallon saved is a gallon earned According to Roe, WOTEC saves money on three fronts. First, using WOTEC stretches fuel supplies. Each gallon of processed waste oil replaces a gallon of more costly diesel fuel or heating oil.
A second savings comes from the elimination of costly waste oil disposal. Scott Newmun, general manager of Yakutat Power Inc., is inclined to agree. “It pays for itself very quickly,” he said. “When you factor in the costs of waste oil disposal, the equipment is extremely cost-effective.”
The small municipal power company installed a WOTEC in 1998 and has since burned all of the stockpiled waste oil within the city’s control.
The third savings comes from an increase in fuel efficiency; the fuel processed via WOTEC displays increased lubricity characteristics, resulting in a cleaner burn. “The first thing WOTEC users notice is a major reduction in emissions. There is a hotter burn in the combustions and our customers are getting more power out of their fuel now,” said Roe. For the environment, less is more Obviously, decreased emissions mean cleaner air.
“Environmentally, it’s very sound. With today’s air quality issues, reducing emissions is a hot topic,” said Roe. In addition, the potential damage to the environment that comes from the transportation and disposal of used oils is eliminated.
Companies are sitting up and taking notice.
The Alaska Energy Authority, for one, purchased five WOTEC units last year and is purchasing an additional two this year. The equipment will be used in rural areas, Alaska villages and small power plants that currently have, according to Roe, “barrels and barrels of used oil stacking up.”
He is pleased to be a part of this symbiotic endeavor: “They have seen the technology, they recognize the savings and the benefits to the environment and they’re ordering the equipment.”
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