Dan's Papers - June 29, 2007 - The Fuel of the Future Could Be Duck Grease

As I neared Jim Naples's office in Center Moriches, I saw him descend from a beaming white Hummer. I was there to interview Naples about Island BioFuel, his business effort that converts discarded restaurant grease into biodiesel as a "greener" alternative to home heating and diesel fuel. All I had known about Jim Naples, Sr. was that, in addition to Island BioFuel, he owned a design/building firm called Jim Naples & Son, Inc. Now I knew that he was an environmentalist with a Hummer.

Jim Naples looks like a working man. Fit and sun worn, grey hair escaping his faded baseball cap, he reached out his calloused hand and introduced himself.

"And this is Jims Naples, Junior," Naples said, pointing to a man in jeans and a t-shirt who looked like his younger replica. Naples, Jr. led me into a conference room and sat me across from him as Naples, Sr. took a phone call.

"How did you go from running a design/building firm to starting a biofuel business?" I asked the younger Naples.

He told me that he had started researching a cheaper and more ecologically-friendly fuel alternative for Jim Naples & Son, Inc. a few years ago.

"Realizing the possibilities with biofuel, we decided to go mainline with it and start distributing," said Naples Jr., who is now the president of Island BioFuel. Naples, Sr., who admitted having little knowledge of biofuel before his son's research, now came to sit at the head of the conference table.

"Jimmy's convinced me, I'm a firm believer," Naples, Sr. said, referring to the use of biodiesel. With wistful reluctance, he revealed plans to trade the Hummer for a vehicle that will run on biofuel.

The Naples founded Island BioFuel in order to turn Long Island into an environmentally-friendly place, and to lessen America's dependence on foreign oil.

Due to Suffolk County's rigid regulation of restaurant waste and Islanders' eagerness to "go green," Island BioFuel has no problem obtaining resources.

"It's a good deal for restaurants -- we provide them with an easy way to dispose of their waste and they get to be a part of the green movement," Said Naples, Sr.

Suffolk County's septic tanks have long been clogged by liquid waste, causing major problems for the county's septic system. Since 2002, county-run Bergen Point Sewage Waste Plant has stopped accepting restaurant grease. As a result, waste dumping became a costly problem for many Long Island restaurants.

JNS Industries, a waste management company working in conjunction with Island BioFuel, provides restaurants with airtight waste containers and takes the grease away in a waste pumping truck. The truck is a custom made modification of a vehicle designed to pump waste from port-a-potties. Restaurants are charged a minimal fee for waste pick-up and receive a sticker to put on their walls certifying them as participants in the Restaurant Grease for Clean Air Pledge.

"Restaurants love it -- we are constantly being contacted by new ones wanting to join," said Walter Finley, who handles sales and marketing for Island BioFuel.

Finley, a red haired musician well-known throughout the Hamptons as a singer/songwriter, got involved with the company this past winter, when he was referred to Jim Naples & Son, Inc. in hopes of doing some design/building work.

"Music was slow and I wanted to get a side job," he told me. "When I overheard Jim talking about Island BioFuel, my ears perked up. Musicians are sensitive people," he continued pensively. "You will often find us drawn to environmental causes."

With Finley's help, Island BioFuel has recruited numerous restaurants in the Hamptons, including Maidstone Golf Club and Rowdy Hall in East Hampton and Cafe on Main in Amagansett. Contrary to what one may find on the Internet, the discarded grease obtained from the restaurants can never go straight into a diesel engine. "You can't just put vegetable oil in your car and expect it to run," said Naples, Sr.

"The grease needs to undergo a serious conversion process."

Biodiesel has been produced and distributed in Europe for decades, but it is a new and fairly unexplored topic in the United States, especially on the East Coast. Biodiesel's relative obscurity causes circulating misconceptions. During my research I found websites instructing the average person to make their biodiesel in a blender.

"Do not try this at home," said Naples, Sr. "Aside from risk of damaging engines, the process is very dangerous. It involves methanol, a flammable liquid producing colorless flames. Many people blow up trying to make this stuff in their garage."

Island BioFuel distributes BQ 9000 certified biofuel.

"BQ 9000 is the highest-grade bio-diesel on the market. It's better than ASTM D-6751," Naples, Sr. stated with pride. Both BQ 9000 and ASTM D-6751 are biofuel certifications conducted voluntarily by accreditation agencies. According to the Naples, BQ 9000 fuel undergoes an even higher level of testing than the high-quality ASTM D-6751.

"In order to make high-grade biofuel, all water and glycerin is removed from the grease and the resulting product is then combined with chemical additives," Naples, Jr. explained. "It is then essential to store the product correctly."

Finley, who was not around for the company's preliminary tests, was amazed at the performance of an old Mercedes converted to run on biofuel. "We found the car sitting under a tree, covered in rust and mold," Finley recalled. "We bought it and converted it. I couldn't believe how smoothly it ran." Finley's eyes widened as he showed me photos of the old car, now decorated in Island BioFuel stickers. Glancing at Finley, Naples, Jr. emitted a small laugh, "We're used to this from years of testing, but we had the same initial reaction," he said.

Biofuel can only be used in cars with diesel engines, but if a car already has a diesel engine, there is little to no modification necessary. The biofuel has a solvent effect and can release deposits gathered on tank walls, which may lead to initial clogging of the filters. Once the clogging subsides, the engine is supposed to run smoother than it would on regular diesel. Aside from the occasional clogged filter, the biggest drawback to using biofuel is the increased emission of NOx, Nitrogen Oxide. While using biofuel significantly reduces the emissions of Carbon Monoxide and Greenhouse Gasses, increased NOx emissions can contribute to smog, acid rain and global warming. "There is a new chemical additive that will practically eliminate those emissions," Naples, Jr. assured me. "It's very new -- I only read about it last week," he said.

Another potential drawback to turning discarded wastes into fuel is that fat and oil solidify in cold weather. According to Naples, this problem can also be solved with the use of chemical additives.

As of this month, Suffolk County has mandated its 439 public fleet vehicles to run on Biodiesel by the end of 2008. Nassau County has already converted its 270 trucks. With these requirements, Island BioFuel should have no difficulty finding clients. Currently, Island BioFuel supplies biodiesel in bulk to trucking and bus companies. Finley says that commercial fishermen from the area are also looking to get onboard, but more testing is necessary before the fuel can be used in boats. Presently, the company is trying to recruit The Hampton Jitney as well as the area's school buses.

"Kids riding to school inhale diesel all day -- it causes asthma and certain cancers," Finley told me. "Children will be much safer if school bus companies switch to biodiesel."

To educate Long Islanders about biofuel, Island BioFuel is making a video with musicians, including Finley, singing about environmental awareness. The video will be distributed and shown in schools. Biofuel is not cheap, running only $0.05 to $0.10 cheaper per gallon than regular diesel. "When you purchase in bulk, those extra cents really do make a difference," said Naples, Sr.

At the end of our meeting, I went outside to see some of their trucks. I was curious if the use of cooking oils would make the streets smell like kitchens. Sure enough, as I approached the back of a running truck, my nose flooded with the smell of cooking. I closed my eyes and imagined the Jitney pulling out of Southampton and all those little white dogs leaping from ladies' arms into the trail of the wafting engine. The wave of the future is closer than we think, and biofuel will power you through it.