People living in Mallorca may have come across small lorry type vehicles parked outside bars and restaurants collecting used cooking oil. Seven of these lorries are currently on the roads in Mallorca, gathering potentially damaging residue from hotels, restaurants, bars and schools for the process of vegetable oil recycling. To this end, Gen Oli Balear (Grupo Ecológico Natural) was set up in Llucmajor with grants from the European Union and a rather substantial financial injection from the Govern de les Illes Balears. A refinery was built where used vegetable oil is recycled, refined, processed, cleaned and mixed with kerosene and alcohol to produce bio-diesel. The plant is said to be the second biggest of its kind in Spain. Bio-diesel is chemically identical to conventional diesel fuel but, without its inherent disadvantages, is helping to keep the environment clean. In fact, the lorry in the photograph is actually running on this very bio-diesel, a fuel with very low contamination or CO² emissions when compared to the traditional diesel combustion product.

Green is in. A Danish company is currently in the process of building a biomass reactor in Mallorca where as of 2012, algae and seaweed will be processed and refined into organic fuel. Micro algae are by many considered to be the most promising next generation bio-fuel. Apparently, the refining process will be based on a micro algae photo-bioreactor technology. The new pilot project will be the largest of its kind in the world and is already assured the collaboration of the Universitat de les Illes Balears. Things are happening in Mallorca. Stay tuned.

The photo (top) was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 20th, 2010. The time was 08:54:29. The photo (bottom) was taken near Llucmajor, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 26th, 2010. The time was 10:11:38.