Biofuels to power Middletown diesels
DPW collects free cooking oil from vendors
BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer

Middletown Public Works Director Lawrence Werger demonstrates the addition of cooking oil to diesel fuel for Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill and Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger.

MIDDLETOWN — The township has taken another step toward going "green," and Public Works Director Lawrence Werger reported that the only employee complaint received last week was from a front-end loader operator who experienced increased hunger due to a new aroma in the public works yard.

As part of the township's Green Initiative, Werger has launched a pilot program to reduce the township's fossil fuel consumption by adding used cooking oil to diesel fuel to power one of the department's eight front-end loaders.

The use of cooking oil as a fuel supplement has reduced petroleum usage by 50 percent in the test equipment with a projected annual cost savings of $5,500 for the one piece of equipment, he said last week.

"In 1892, Rudolph Diesel introduced a compression ignition engine specifically designed to operate on vegetable oil," Werger said. "A fossil fuel substitution was more economical at the time, but times have changed. As the cost of petroleum continues to rise, we find ourselves returning to Mr. Diesel's original concept."

Middletown is one of the first municipalities in New Jersey to use biofuel as a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Public works has arranged the donation of used cooking oil with several local commercial vendors.

The actual collection is conducted by the department's recycling personnel during their daily routine.

"We take the leftover vegetable oil from restaurants that normally pay people to take it away," said Ted Maloney, assistant public works director. "We do this with a couple of different places."

Maloney said that the township has been looking into using biofuels over the years.

"It's something we've been doing research on for a while," Maloney said. "It has environmental and financial pluses."

Werger expects to expand the program in the future by involving more commercial vendors and pieces of municipal equipment.

Maloney said that biofuel is a more natural fuel.

"This is whey oil and soy oil that we filter," Maloney said. "It's a better type of fuel that is environmentally positive.

"This program has the potential to save the township tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars in the coming years as it is expanded to other machinery," Deputy Mayor Pamela M. Brightbill said. "Innovative techniques like this will have a direct impact on our budget by decreasing the amount of tax dollars needed for fuel, which will help ease the pressure on local property taxes caused by spiraling energy costs."

Maloney said that using biofuels makes sense for a number of reasons.

"It burns a lot cleaner than other oils," Maloney said. "It's also a lot cheaper considering we are getting it for free at the moment."

Implementation of the biofuel pilot program is the latest development in the Middletown Township Green Initiative.

The initiative, spearheaded by Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger, represents the township's commitment to find and implement ways to decrease money spent on energy, curb pollution and reduce reliance on foreign energy producers.

Other recent green projects include introduction of the free Dock and Roll Shuttle last spring and restoration of native grasses at the Poricy Park Conservancy this summer.

The township recently purchased a boiler for the sewerage authority that reuses methane gas that used to be discharged into the atmosphere. Not only does it capture the methane gas, it creates hot water for the facility.

This process saves the township $40,000 a year as well as eliminating harmful gases in the air.

Meanwhile, the township continues to explore the possibility of retrofitting existing buildings with solar power, including solar energy in municipal building renovations, and introducing hybrid vehicles into the municipal fleet.