18 May 07

Waste cooking oil from 14 of the college kitchens is being converted into biodiesel to run some of the University's fleet of four-wheel drives and vans.

The cooking oil is poured from the deep fat fryers into 20 litre cans, which are collected by local biodiesel producer Goldenfuels. The cooking oil is then filtered, treated, washed and dried before it is transformed into the green substitute for petro-diesel.

Kate Aydin, the University Sustainability Officer, said: 'Our environment policies include reducing emissions, and reducing waste and energy consumption. The re-use of waste cooking oil to make biodiesel which actually powers our vehicles is a very good way of reaching our environmental targets.'

Oxford University is one of a handful of universities starting to experiment with biodiesel. Trials carried out on two tractors at the University Parks were so successful that the department has decided to extend biodiesel to its fleet of two four-wheel drives and six vans. None of the vehicles has been specially modified. University Parks Superintendent, Walter Sawyer, said: 'We have noticed no difference at all with the equipment we have been using. Hopefully it is going to have environmental benefits and it's just some small thing that we can do.'

The University's Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum started using waste vegetable oil in their four-wheel drives nine months ago. Tim Palmer, Head Arborist at the University's Harcourt Arboretum, said: 'We need them to move plants and take garden waste away. They are also used by our educational officer who likes to go out to schools to engage with the children in things like conservation so it makes sense to go over to biodiesels because it is recycling something that is already there and it is more sustainable for the future.'

Iain Patton, from the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges, said: 'A handful of universities and colleges are doing this already. You've got leaders like the University of Oxford but you've also got St Andrews, University of Wales Newport, and Newcastle University, all starting to experiment and see what is the potential here.'

Lincoln College, which donates cooking oil, had wanted to run its college van on biodiesel. The manufacturers have warned, however, that using biodiesel would invalidate a warranty for a new van. Bursar of Lincoln College, Martin Ford, has been left feeling very frustrated. He said: 'To use biodiesel in a new van could possibly invalidate the warranty for the manufacturer, so frustratingly until the issue of the warranty is resolved with the manufacturers, the College won't be able to use biodiesel in its van.'

Apart from the warranty issue, there is also the matter of the smell, but Mr Sawyer said: 'We have not noticed a particular aroma of chipfat. If there is, well you know I don't think it is a big problem.'