Recycled Biodiesel

Banyan Tree Seychelles recently purchased a Fuelpod 2 to convert used frying oil into Biodiesel.

The machine itself is very simple to handle and a mere 5 hours is needed to transform 50 litres of used frying oil to Biodiesel. The Biodiesel can be used in all Diesel-operated engines without any compromise of performance.

The initial test phase was done on the car belonging to the General Manager of Banyan Tree Seychelles, Mr. Reinhold Johann, as well as with the associate minibus. Both tests were very successful, leading to the decision to run all the diesel engines in Banyan Tree Seychelles on Biodiesel.

Banyan Tree Seychelles has been keeping our used cooking oil for this purpose, however, it was fast running out. As an alternative, Banyan Tree Seychelles offered the pick-up of used oil to the other properties in the area. So far they are working with 2 more hotels to obtain more used oil. As hotels usually pay a company to dispose of the oil, they have been supportive of our initiative and offer their used oil freely.

The total production of Biodiesel is estimated at 2,000 litres a month, saving approximately US$1,700 a month. At this output, the cost of the machine is recovered in less than 3 months. In addition to the cost savings benefits, Banyan Tree Seycelles is providing a local means of recycling what was previously waste.

A local newsletter from the Hotel Association ran an article on this machine, which attracted significant interest in other organizations, as well as the Environment Minister of Seychelles. We hope that this first step taken results in more organizations taking this up and reducing our environmental impact as a whole.

Well done, Banyan Tree Seychelles!