When we think of biofuels the thoughts of most San Diegans gravitate towards algae and the high-tech working being done by Sapphire Energy, SD-CAB, and Synthetic Genomics mainly because of the local jobs creation and economic impact. However, biofuel is not just about algae since it can be created from a broad spectrum of biomass feedstock including used cooking oil. This is where a couple companies in San Diego are working to take a restaurant waste product and upcycle it into biodiesel.
Buster Biofuels and New Leaf are partnering with local restaurants offering free oil collection and free containers for storing the used oil in a clean and safe manner until it can be collected. Some of these restaurants like Burger Lounge are using the upcycled biodiesel in their company vehicles.
Buster Biofuels has alliances with hundreds of restaurants in San Diego County and provides biodiesel in a variety of blends including B99, B50, B20, and B5. The ASTM D6751 grade biodiesel is registered with the US EPA as a fuel and a fuel additive under Section 211(b) of the Clean Air Act. This fuel is renewable, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Using locally collected feedstock combined with the reduced environmental impact of transportation from using biodiesel makes this a sustainable way for local companies to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner San Diego.