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Peters Creek resident Will Taygan points out one of the few modifications necessary to run his 1975 Mercedes on vegetable oil. The electric heater, warms the oil before it is injected into the motor and burned instead of using regular diesel fuel.
STAR PHOTO BY DARRELL L. BREESE
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Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have recommended people limit the consumption of deep fried foods. In a health alert they state, “cholesterol is increased by the saturated fats pumped into the otherwise normal food, when deep fried in vegetable oil and is bad for health.”
But that warning and others like it, has not slowed Peters Creek resident Will Taygan. In fact, he cannot get to the deep fryer fast enough.
And his cholesterol is just fine.
Fed up with high prices at the pump and the state's growing dependence on the oil industry, Taygan said he is “walking the talk” and using leftover frying oil from local restaurants to make fuel for his 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit truck and 1975 Mercedes. Both vehicles are powered by diesel engines and, after slight modifications, run perfectly off the canola and soy oil retrieved from Soupy's Cafe and Jalapenos restaurants in Eagle River.
“The diesel engine is a pretty amazing invention,” Taygan said. “It does not even require diesel fuel to run. With a few modifications, you can use the same ingredient you would use to cook french fries, deep fried halibut or chimichangas to power a diesel motor.”
Taygan, who volunteers for the Sierra Club while staying home caring for his two daughters, wants to preserve the environment for future generations to enjoy.
“It's a renewable fuel source allowing me to live lighter on the Earth,” said Taygan, a former park naturalist. “I'm doing my part not to use foreign oil and support American farmers, so it's something that I feel is worth it.
“Plus, it shows that there is an alternative to opening Arctic Refuge for oil exploration and drilling,” he continued. “Vegetable oil is a renewable resource, every year farmers grow a new crop, and it burns cleaner than regular diesel fuel.”
Taygan runs his Volkswagen off biodiesel, produced from the waste oil he receives from the local eateries. In fact, he drove the small truck all the way from Seattle to Anchorage on the home-brewed fuel.
His Mercedes, however, runs off straight vegetable oil after it is filtered, to remove any food debris.
“Biodiesel is the pour-and-go solution,” Taygan said. “No modifications to your vehicle are required. Straight vegetable oil (also known as SVO) involves adding a second fuel tank for the oil and heating both the tank and fuel lines.”
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Will Taygan has adapted a 50-gallon hot water heater for use in converting vegetable oil into biodiesel to power his 1975 Mercedes.
STAR PHOTO BY DARRELL L. BREESE
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Biodiesel is made by chemically altering an organic oil (typically vegetable oil, but fish oil can also be used) through a process called transesterification, Taygan said. Essentially, the process cleans and thins down the oil, allowing it to run in a diesel engine.
Taygan makes his own biodiesel in a converted 50-gallon hot water heater and a pair of large drums used for cleaning the oil.
“It's really easy to make poor quality biodiesel, and anyone with an understanding of high school chemistry can do that,” he said. “It's just a mixture of vegetable oil, alcohol and lye, and if you're careful with the mixing process you can make a high quality fuel.”
A small shed 50 yards from his home shelters Taygan's biodiesel refinery.
“Unlike SVO, biodiesel is flammable,” he said. “I wouldn't want to be foolish and burn down the house, so I keep everything a safe distance away.”
His operation for preparing the SVO for use is housed in the pantry.
“It's just cooking oil,” he explained. “Everyone has that in their pantry or cupboard. Plus, it is the only warm spot that's not living space in the house. I wish I had a garage to do all this messy stuff.”
To prepare the cooking oil he salvaged from the local restaurants, he uses a series of filters to get all the food chunks and other debris out of the oil.
“I start with a paint strainer from Spenard Builders Supply, then use a pair of jeans I bought from the Salvation Army,” Taygan said. “You've got to start with a really coarse filter, then the medium filter. Then the final filter is a fuel filter I get at Alaska Industrial Hardware.
“It might take a week to complete the whole process,” he continued. “But then it is ready to go into the car.”
Running SVO in a car will void any warranty, but Taygan said several automakers have approved the use of biodiesel. However, because of cost and cold-weather issues, it doesn't make sense to run biodiesel during the winter months in Alaska.
To set his Mercedes up to run on SVO, Taygan spent his Permanent Fund check for the two-tank system, which includes hoses, oil heaters and filters.
According to Taygan, the cost for a typical SVO two-tank conversion runs between $1,000 and $1,500. But despite the high up-front cost, it can quickly be recouped with the savings at the pump.
“Diesel sells for $2.60 now,” Taygan said. “I spend maybe $10 for filters and can prepare 20-gallons of vegetable oil for my car. That's about $0.50 a gallon, and I get the same gas mileage.”
Taygan said he's noted a little loss in power when running on SVO, but had his car running fine for nearly a hour Monday on the oil once used to fry a chimichanga.
If it weren't for the big letters across his back window, which read “Powered by vegetable oil,” fellow commuters wouldn't be able to distinguish his beige Mercedes from any other car on the road.
While Taygan may be a “bioneer,” as the users of biodiesel and SVO call the pioneers in the alternative fuel field, he is not alone.
“I know of maybe 20 vehicles in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area running either on biodiesel or SVO,” he said. “We'd like to see a local gas station start carrying some biodiesel so others can try it.”
Taygan also maintains an informational Web page about making and using biodiesel and SVO in Alaska. Log onto www.alaskabiodiesel.org for information about conversion kits for cars and how to make biodiesel.
Reach the reporter at darrell.breese@alaskastar.com.
