by Massimo Farrugia

26-11-04

A pilot project to collect used edible oil from households, which will in turn be transformed into biodiesel, is expected to start in January, Environment Minister George Pullicino said. Speaking at Edible Oil Refining Company, in Marsa, Malta -- the company which is already collecting oil from catering establishments, as well as lards and animal remains from the abattoir and transforming them into biodiesel -- Mr Pullicino said an agreement between WasteServ and Edible Oil Company would lead to a system of collecting oil from households in chosen localities.
"The new collection system from households will entail distributing containers to each household. Once a container is filled, it would be sent to a collection point where it can be exchanged for an empty container," Mr Pullicino said.

Asked what incentives would be introduced to encourage households to collect used oil instead of throwing it into the drains, the minister said incentives would be announced when theagreement is finalised. Details on how the system would work would be announced then, he said.
Mr Pullicino said the government was setting an example as diesel powered cars and machines in a couple of entities were already running on biodiesel. The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has 43 cars with a diesel engine which are now running on biodiesel, following an initiative originally proposed by an enforcement officer, Mario Pandolfino.

In addition, the new mobile incinerator at the abattoir, which had just been given to Malta by the Italian government as part of the fifth financial protocol, was also running on biodiesel. In Malta, three tons of animal waste are incinerated every day, totalling 12,000 tons of animal remains and carcasses yearly, chief government veterinary Lino Vella said.
The minister said the government was committed to encourage initiatives that would contribute to reusing and recycling materials that would otherwise simply pile up in a landfill or ruin the environment.Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced during his budget speech that biodiesel would be exempted from Customs duty. Even though the company had not paid any duty on biodiesel produced so far, Edible Oil directors said the company welcomed the government's decision.

Catering establishments are given about three cents for every litre of oil they pass on to Edible Oil for processing. Strange as it may seem, about 60 % of oil collected from frying pans can be turned into biodiesel through a process that lasts about 15 hours.
As a pure fuel, biodiesel contains no sulphur. Therefore it does not harm the environment as normal diesel does when burnt in engines. It is hardly ever sold in pure form but is mostly available in a blended form, where biodiesel is mixed with petroleum diesel and can be used by all diesel engines without any modification. The lubricity of biodiesel, needed for the engine's smooth running, exceeds that of normal diesel.
"The blend available in Malta contains 20 % biodiesel. But itis scientifically proven that with up to 2 % content of biodiesel in the mix, the environmental harm caused by normal diesel is greatly reduced," Pippo Psaila, commercial manager of Edible Oil Company, said.

The company had started research on biodiesel three years ago. Pure biodiesel, which is only sold to commercial enterprises that have an agreement with Edible Oil, costs 32,4 cents per litre, whereas the blend costs 33,4 cents per litre, one cent less than normal diesel.
So far, it is only available from a fuel station outside the Edible Oil factory in Marsa, which will soon be equipped with a self-service facility.

Source: Times