AZ Biodiesel Full Service Facility Opens to General Public

Biodiesel has become one of the most prevalent ways Arizonans have decided to “Go Green.” AZ BioDiesel, currently the state’s largest licensed biodiesel production facility, has officially opened up full service to the general public.

Biodiesel is a cleaning-burning, American-made alternative fuel, approved as a motor fuel for diesel engines by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Transportation. It is made by taking fat or vegetable oil through a chemical process called transesterification, which refines the oil to undergo other chemical processes to be able to insure proper performance. Biodiesel also meets the 1990 Clean Air Act specifications and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for public production and consumption. In addition, according to AZ BioDiesel, it is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.

While AZ BioDiesel, a corporate production facility in Chandler has been making preparations for years to open up sales for the general public, other fuel-efficient savvy individuals have already been researching and producing biodiesel fuel for themselves for quite some time.

A local Mesa resident, Tom Kokaliares, has been researching biofuel for over two years. His 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 with a Duramax diesel motor and Allison transmission along with his son Kyle’s 2007 Dodge Ram with a Cummins diesel motor, otherwise categorized as “gas hogs”, have actually been contributing to a cleaner environment. Kokaliares and his sons have taken advantage of the benefits of biodiesel for nine months now, as they have researched it enough to produce it in their own garage.

“Using wasted vegetable oil burns cleaner with less pollution than diesel,” Kokaliares said.

 Kokaliares and his son Kyle go to local restaurants in Mesa every two weeks to pick up left over vegetable oil free of charge in bulk containers to process it for fuel in their trucks. They usually filter about 90 gallons at a time and claim they only fill up their tanks with petroleum diesel from an actual gas station once per month.

“Biodiesel is a win-win,” he said. “It’s better for the environment and cheaper for both the consumer and the processor.”

Kokaliares, who is also a licensed aviator pilot and owner of his own private plane, said that biodiesel fuel can actually be made for planes as well, but it is being worked on.

“Aviation fuel requires a different chemical process,” Kokaliares said.

Not only has biodiesel been proven better for the environment and provides for better fuel efficiency, but it may also implement tax breaks for consumers in the near future.

Melissa Randazzo, a public information officer for the City of Mesa said, “The city does not get tax breaks on biodiesel, but public individuals do.”

Likewise, Mesa does not impose any taxes for biodiesel producers either, according to Pete Scarafiotti from the City of Mesa.

Even though gas prices seem to be eeking their way down statewide, it is safe to say that Americans hope for the benefits of biodiesel to keep progressing and provide for more advancement for alternative energy fuel production to become mainstream.

According to the National Biodiesel Board’s most recent statistics, production in the U.S. has significantly increased from 500 thousand gallons in 1999 to 250 million gallons in 2006. For more information on AZ BioDiesel visit azbiodiesel.com or call (480) 344-1480.

Guest Article submitted by Anais G. Durney
Student, Arizona State University

Technorati Tags: alternative fuel, AZ BioDiesel, biodiesel, City of Mesa, Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, fat, fuel, go green, transesterification, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, vergetable oil