Southampton College Students Travel to C.W. Post in New Veggie Car Fueled by Vegetable Oil

MAIDEN VOYAGE: (from left) C.W. Post Earth and Environmental Science Professor Scott Carlin, with student members of the P.E.A.C.E. recycling club Elisha Gibson, Peter Saltanis and Kasey Jacobs. (P.E.A.CE. - Protecting Every Aspect Concerning the Environment)

At 11:15 a.m. on September 9, 2005, C.W. Post Professor Scott Carlin and his students Kasey Jacobs and Peter Saltanis left Southampton College in their "Veggie Car," a converted 1980 Mercedes Benz that now runs on vegetable oil.

They made the 90-minute trip to the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville on a mixture of used peanut oil and store-bought King Kullen vegetable oil. According to Professor Carlin, "We first filled the tank with the store-bought vegetable oil to make sure the vegetable oil was burning properly. Then we added some peanut oil, donated by Southampton College employee Janet Hebert."

The project began in 2004 at the suggestion of Randy Spitzer, who now works for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). Spitzer served as project consultant helping with purchasing and installing the conversion kit which the College bought from Greasecar.com.

In 2004, a local doctor, Jonathan Korn, donated his 1980 Mercedes Benz 300SD to the College. It arrived on the Southampton campus a maroon color, but it will leave Southampton with a new paint job. The students opted for a cloud covered roof, an earth and tree design for the hood, and lots of fishes and waves along the side panels.

Kasey Jacobs was one of the students who helped to paint and install the new gas tank and lines for the veggie oil. "I am very excited about this. We are probably the only students on Long Island who are driving a car around their college campus fueled by vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels, and we'll be able to get our fuel for free from C.W. Post's cafeterias or local restaurants."

According to Randy Spitzer, "The purpose of the conversion was so that the car could run on used vegetable oil. Restaurants are only going to throw the oil out and often times pay someone to dispose of it, so it is a great reuse of a local resource and helps local businesses save money."

Cars that run on biodiesel:

  • Reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are linked to global warming;
  • Reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, which are linked to acid rain;
  • Increase the reuse of discarded vegetable oils;
  • Improve car performance; the car runs smoother when running on plant-based oils;
  • Reduce our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and are a great alternative to high-priced gasoline. Used fryer oil is a free commodity!
  • Increase revenues to American farmers; biodiesel fuels are processed directly from farm grown crops.

 

There are many other individuals who helped to complete this project, including students Christian Granelli, Haley Menard, Jessica Parisi, Sean Walters, Anthony Lomauro, Tommy Calabrese, and Brian Klug. Professor Carlin also extends thanks to Henry Adamczyk, Southampton College's mechanic, who helped with the project.

 
 
Long Island University C.W. Post Campus