Cope Environmental Center to put used cooking oil to work

CEC to put used cooking oil to work! Will run tractors and mowers on biodiesel produced on the property!

Centerville, Indiana - Cope Environmental Center was recently awarded a grant from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation to purchase a FuelMeister II. This piece of equipment will convert used cooking oil (from restaurant fryers) to biodiesel suitable for use in tractors, lawn mowers, and even vehicles. CEC will be partnering with the local Elks Lodge and Country Club to make this long-awaited effort a reality. “I’m really looking forward to this project and partnership. Hopefully, this will help us both and do something good for the environment at the same time,” said Glen Alexander, General Manager at Elks.

Elks’ leftover cooking oil from the restaurant will be picked up by CEC regularly and added to the FuelMeister II. With the addition of small quantities of lye and methanol, the converter will produce 40 gallons of clean biodiesel fuel from 40 gallons of fryer oil. Facilities & Grounds Director Jeremy Mussoni is thrilled about the new venture. “I’m excited to begin production. I have been interested in biodiesel for quite a while, and this will be a great way to save resources, both financially and environmentally. We’re looking forward to seeing the final product and how it weighs against traditionally produced diesel.”

This project is one of many alternative energy projects underway on the CEC property. The Center also features a Sustainable Living Demo Home (occupied by two residents) which showcases sustainable options for energy, insulation, decking, lighting, etc. The home is a work in progress, but major steps have been made over the past several years. The Center offers tours for the public on the third Wednesday of each month at 4:00pm. The cost for the ~1 ½ hour tour is $5 per person. Participants get an up close look at the more technical features of the home including the energy monitoring system and the region’s first hybrid (wind & solar) energy producing system. Most impressive, perhaps, is the 100 foot tall tower and wind turbine just a few hundred feet from the house. The Center’s hope is to demonstrate these technologies for local homeowners, business owners, and communities so that people will begin to think about alternative ways to power their lives.

“Purchasing the FuelMeister II is an exciting endeavor for CEC. Not only will it help us reduce our fuel costs and pay for itself within a couple of years, but it also saves a valuable resource. We are making a waste product into a usable product! It is a great example of saving natural and financial resources,” says Executive Director Stephanie Hays-Mussoni.