Green Fuels Ltd. Has announced the launch of the FuelPod2, a compact biodiesel processor for the domestic market.

Capable of producing up to 50 litres of biodiesel every day from waste cooking oil, the FuelPod2 directly targets a growing market for home-production believed to be worth €5m per year (NB: forward projections for this to be worth 12.5m in 2008).

With its small 60cm diameter and standing just 140cm high, the compact FuelPod2 takes up the minimum space at the back of a garage - a major advantage to domestic users. It's also incredibly easy and safe to use:

- the 50 litre batch size was deliberately chosen to minimize the quantity of methanol used (10 litres per batch)

- externally, thermostatically-controlled band heaters are used to pre-heat the oil. As well as making it extremely difficult to overheat the input oil, it also ensures that heating takes place before the addition of chemicals.

- the risk of having a flammable liquid in the reaction tank is minimized thanks to the use of venturi pipes to add the methanol and methylate from a separate tank. This arrangement also minimizes methanol vapours present within the reaction vessel.

- Green Fuels recommends the use of liquid methylates rather than dry caustic soda, to avoid exothermic reaction. The fuel quality is also improved, as there is no chance of un-dissolved caustic getting into the reaction. Ion exchange resin is used to purify the fuel in a contained system using very small quantities of consumables.

- the system is operated by air controls and an ATEX approved air pump, thus adding to safety by avoiding sparks and preventing disconnection of a pipe.

customers receive a comprehensive operating manual and can telephone a dedicated helpline for advice. The company is also working on an education programme to promote the use of safe biodiesel systems in the home.

Green Fuels designs and manufactures a range of processing equipment across the whole market spectrum - from small fuel producers, through medium size companies and to large wholesale businesses. There are currently more than 600 Green Fuels processors in the UK and Ireland, with a growing number in the rest of the world, producing over 170 million litres of fuel every year.

Market analysts Frost and Sullivan predict biodiesel to be one of the fastest-growing areas in the chemical industry and in the green energy sector, with forecast growth year-on-year of 14 per cent to 2013. Last year Europe consumed 3.89 million tonnes of biodiesel, generating revenues of €2.93 billion. By 2013 the total EU biodiesel market is forecast to be 9.75 million tones.