• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Outdoors / Engineer develops biodiesel club

Engineer develops biodiesel club

January 4, 2006 By admin

Some Iowans who believe in a more earth-friendly lifestyle are discovering it can be a do-it-yourself project. 42-year-old Eric Foresman is a mechanical engineer in facilities management at the University of Iowa who started getting interested in renewable fuel. He says he happened upon bio-diesel fuel, made out of vegetable oil. He says it’s more sustainable because it pollutes less.

Foresman says you can make a “home-brew” bio-diesel in small batches, and the vegetable fuel appealed to his sense of logic. He says you can make it every year, growing a crop and making it into fuel. Then after using it to fuel a car he figures the next year’s crop “sucks up all the c-o-2” gases you released when you burned the fuel. Foresman bought a car with a diesel engine, and met some other enthusiasts who liked the idea of using bio-diesel and making their own.

They found non-copyrighted plans to make a bigger batch of bio-diesel. The “open source” plan was a processor made from a used water heater and parts from a local hardware store. He and friends thought rather than making fifteen gallons a week, it’d be better to make 150 so they got together and started a biodiesel club. He and other members of the club pick up used cooking oil from a local restaurant and use it to make their bio-diesel. On one level, Foresman says it’s a “crazy hobby” but it also makes him feel good to make lifestyle changes and “do what I can with what I have where I’m at.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Outdoors Tagged With: Travel

Featured Stories

Iowa State Patrol tactical team leader killed in Grundy Center stand-off

Finalists chosen for the state’s top burger

Paintings by Clinton woman gain a following in Europe

Iowa deadline for individual income taxpayers moved to June 1

Dialing rules changing for two area codes in Iowa

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

New title sponsor for Des Moines Marathon

Iowa State adds Minnesota transfer

Cedar Rapids preparing for big return of sports events

Iowa Games returning with full slate of sports

Iowa’s Garza sweeps national awards

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC