Inside Bay Area - Man makes biodiesel at home

Inside Bay Area - Man makes biodiesel at home: "WITH TRACES of grease glistening on his fingers, Peter Erwin of Berkeley shakes hands before showing off an accomplishment that took 18 months � a series of experiments in welding, plumbing and electricity � and $400 to pull off: his own home biodiesel factory.
Everybody talks about high gas prices, but Erwin is doing something about it. Once a week or so, he stops off at a Japanese restaurant in Berkeley and picks up about 30 gallons of used cooking oil (It goes from tempura to diesel,' he jokes), brings it home and transforms it into fuel for his car.
The fuel he pumps by hand into his 1984 Mercedes 300TD wagon costs him 50 cents a gallon, Erwin says. In contrast, regular gas is currently selling for $3.20 a gallon in the East Bay and $3.26 a gallon on the Peninsula, according to AAA.
Biodiesel fuel is still a niche alternative, but more consumers are turning to it for economical and environmentalreasons. Biodiesel cars emit 48 percent less carbon monoxide and 70 percent less hydrocarbons than conventional diesel vehicles, according to a 2002 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study. Particulates � the nasty stuff you inhale when you're stuck behind another vehicle � are cut in half, according to the study. "