Used cooking oil fuels Thai crimefighters
BANGKOK (AFP) — Thailand's police are turning to used cooking oil as they seek cheaper and more environmentally friendly fuel amid soaring oil prices, they said Wednesday.
Oil prices of more than 90 dollars a barrel have hit the police budget, forcing them to tap alternative sources such as biodiesel made from old cooking oil donated by hotels, fast food shops and even shrines.
"The purpose of this project is in response to the King urging us to use biodiesel, save the budget, reduce pollution," Lieutenant Colonel Tepvisit Potigengrid, deputy commander of Bangkok's Bangrak district, told AFP.
He said homemade biodiesel now accounted for 50 percent of the fuel used at his city centre station since the project was launched in March.
Out of the Thai capital's 88 police stations eight have adopted the project.
The police use a locally-made machine that can produce up to 450 litres (117 US gallons) of biodiesel a day at cost of 7.0 baht a litre (84 cents a gallon), saving 23 baht a litre (2.77 dollars a gallon).
At Bangrak, police just use it to produce 150 litres (40 US gallons) a day, which still saves them about 110 dollars a day, Tepvisit said, offering to share the machine with any other station that could obtain used cooking oil.
"Of a total of 10 police patrol cars at our station, six of them are now running on biodiesel," he added.
Bangrak district commander Colonel Santi Cheekangwan said he personally went out to ask hotels, restaurants, and Chinese shrines to donate their used oil.
"It's a good response from the public," he said.
He added that the money stations saved from using biodiesel went towards buying benzene for their motorcycles, meaning more frequent patrols.
