Restaurant Uses Waste Fryer Oil as Fuel
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 09.13.06
A savvy restaurant owner in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin has found a way to put his waste fryer oil to good use. Ed Rich, owner of Culver's Restaurant, now runs his hot water heater on used vegetable oil. Rich teamed up with LaCrosse-based INOV8 International, a company that makes waste-oil powered heating systems and boilers (check them out online for more ways to use waste oil), who came up with a unique system. This innovative invention filters out food particles from the oil, burns it for the power, and produces no byproducts, reportedly all without much help from restaurant staff. INOV8 is planning to market the system, priced between $9,000 and $11,000, depending on size, to other restaurant owners. With energy cost savings, Rich expects to earn back the expense in less than three years. The only catch? "If you're standing downwind, it will smell kind of like their fryers," notes Rebecca Faas, president and owner of INOV8. Rich is not the first to look at alternative uses for fryer oil—read about other initiatives here and here. Thanks tipster Tovi. ::The Examiner via ::Hugg ::INOV8
Image courtesy of Oregon State University.
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Ed is not the only Wisconsin restaurant owner to use his waste oil - Glass Nickel Pizza in Madison uses their waste oil to fuel...their pizza delivery vehicles! Talk about a closed (almost) loop system...
http://www.glassnickelpizza.com/$spindb.query.readwhat.gnickelview.31
If you don't mind cutting a few years off your life, check a Culver's ButterBurger. Your tastebuds will scream for more and your arteries will scream in terror.
this is fantastic - cutting out the delivery process.