Hotel powers up limousines with used cooking oil

Allan Lim, CEO of Alpha Biofuels, pumping biodiesel into the car. A five-star hotel's limousines are running on used cooking oil from its own kitchen, thanks to a local company's machine that produces biodiesel for luxury cars. -- ST PHOTO:&nbsp
Allan Lim, CEO of Alpha Biofuels, pumping biodiesel into the car. A five-star hotel's limousines are running on used cooking oil from its own kitchen, thanks to a local company's machine that produces biodiesel for luxury cars. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

A FIVE-STAR hotel's limousines are running on used cooking oil from its own kitchen, thanks to a local company's machine that produces biodiesel for luxury cars.

The Westin Singapore tied up with biodiesel maker Alpha Biofuels to turn its waste cooking oil into biodiesel for a pair of Jaguar sedans that ferry guests from the airport to the hotel at Marina View.

It is the first time that a hotel here is producing its own biofuel for its luxury cars.

Recycled cooking oil has been used to power only biodiesel generators and cranes here.

The hotel began this effort when it opened last November. The refining, now done at Alpha Biofuels' plant, will be done in the hotel when it gets its micro-refinery next month.

This is expected to cut the hotel's carbon emissions, with each kilogramme of biodiesel producing 65 per cent less greenhouse gases compared to the same quantity of diesel oil.

The hotel, which is expected to generate 7,800kg of waste cooking oil a year, will also save on the cost of hiring a waste management firm to dispose of the waste cooking oil.

This move, and other green efforts, which include using biodegradable packaging for room amenities and cutting electricity consumption, will cut the hotel's operating costs by about 20 to 30 per cent, said its general manager Lance Ourednik.

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