In a word ..............................nope!
Don't know bout your neck of the woods, but here in east Tn. WVO is now a commodity with prices increasing on a near weekly basis. Currently, depending on the quality, quantity, location, (and some few other factors) you can expect to pay around $.50 from a little greasy spoon out in the boony's, to as much as $1.75 for the good clean stuff from the high volume Chinese buffet in the mall. And even at that it's only beginning, it's just a matter of time before it's out of the range of the average do-it-yourselfer. One of the larger biodiesel processors in the area says he is prepared to pay within $.95 of the going rate of pump diesel and can still make a profit of $.23 - $.29, which because of his capacity will make his plant very profitable, and will pretty much discourage the small timers (like me) from setting up or staying in operation.
The two 300sd Mercedes I converted are going on ebay as soon as I use up the 400 or so gallons I already have made up and while the prices on them are still inflated, and I'm going to a gas hybrid. The days of the old 30 mpg diesels are definitely numbered when the free waste oil is history.
And here's another caveat concerning home made fuel, (better read this one carefully) Both state AND federal law enforcement people are being notified that because of the increasing use of "untaxed" motor fuel, any diesel powered vehicle stopped for any reason can soon be routinely checked for illegal fuel if the exhaust smell warrants it, and the fines can be staggering! One local farmer has already found that out at $12,000 for the first offense! Think I'm kidding, can't tell you his name because it would be an invasion of his privacy, but the police dept down in Newport Tn will gladly verify it. (That's not an isolated incident by the way) Also, we now have to sign name and address in order to buy kerosene in ANY amount because backyarders were mixing it with used motor oil as a diesel fuel. The Gov. is deadly serious about stopping the homebrewers, BUT, you'll not hear much about it right now because of the political ramifications during an election year. I've been making diesel fuel for over twenty five years, and in the beginning I even had a couple of articles about it in the local paper, long before the old Hippies began making an industry of it, that's all changed now, and depending on who the next president is it could become hazardous to your finances, concievably your freedom. Ms Clinton has already remarked about "assesing the backyard diesel plants", Obama laughed off the subject, McCain said we could learn something from it? I'm not political, I don't care who gets in, but the point is, it's now on the Govt radar and if you're not already involved, it may be better if you keep it that way.
I started by just going around and dipping out a few gallons once in a while into a couple of plastic jugs in my trunk, and processing it all by hand in a few buckets in the back of my shop, and as interest grew, wound up making more and more over the years, sometimes giving it away to friends as just something of a novelty, and by the middle of last summer had grown to a vacuum pumper truck and 18 five hundred gallon propane tanks for storage, a semi automated continual run heater/reactor/centrifuge/filtration/metered line that could process 400 gallons/day. THEN................ I began noticing that the barrels where I had picked up for years were turning up empty more and more often, and that more and more old Mercedes Benz were running around the county smelling like deepfryers! Now just in the past few months the free oil has completely gone away, and in the past several weeks I actually found a couple guys sitting out back of one of the places waiting for the next pan of oil to come out. And they, not knowing I've been doing it for years look at me as if I were some kind of "oil monger" trying to muscle in on their stake, so I'm getting out of it.
My story is probably not unique, and if I were younger I might try making a business of it, but I can see where the competition for a limited resource is going to create some problems, and I just don't want the hassle.
Hope this helps someone.
