Costa Rica News – Environmentalists are extremely proud of Ricardo Herrera, who you may have read about six years ago. This man has now been producing biodiesel from animal fat for the past six years.
Each month, he produces around 80,000 liters of the biodiesel. This initiative has been recognized and awarded for the technology innovation award, Contributions to the Improvement of the Quality of Life.
He uses the animal parts that slaughterhouses throw away in addition to vegetable fat derived from waste oil from restaurants. It took some trial and error but the process has been figured out. The materials are cooked and cleaned and then mixed with potassium hydroxide and methanol.
By the end of the process, the fuel can be used in automobiles. It’s purchased at a plant in Santa Clara at ¢700 per liter, plus sales tax. Although it’s a bit costly, it saves money on engine repairs, by dissolving the dirt in its path. It also leaves more time between oil changes, which are necessary only every 10,000 km compared to 5,000 km with average fuel.
It has also been shown to increase engine performance by 30%. The main benefit is that it’s 80% cleaner, saving the environment by lowering gas emissions.
