Major funds expected to be pumped into its operations have not materialized more than five years after a fledgling local biodiesel producer was bought by American interests and rebranded.
BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY was informed that Amelot Oil (Barbados) Limited, which is still operating from its original Edgehill, St Thomas base, was a victim of financial difficulties faced by investors involved in its American parent company Amelot Holdings Inc.
But despite the shortage of funds, the small company, fuelled by loyal support from about 40 Barbadian motorists, is pressing on with plans not only to increase its conversion of used vegetable oil to fuel, but to utilize solar energy, thereby significantly reducing its electricity bill.
Up to the time of its 2008 sale, Amelot, then named Native Sun NRG, was headed by its founder Handel Callender.
Today, Parmeshwar Bissoon is the man in charge. He said the company did not have a lot of money to work with, but despite this he had plans to use solar panels to help boost his production while reducing operational costs.
“It is still Amelot Oil and I am running it [as a subsidiary of] Amelot Holdings Inc. It is still an American company, but there were a number of investors who were going to invest in it, but the financial crisis came and we are not getting the support that we need,” Bissoon, who works with a team of three, said.
“I was trying to see if I could get some support from the Government to maybe help with some chemicals but nobody seems to help so I have just got to do it alone. I do not want to stop because the amount of oil I pick up every week if I stop where is that oil going to go? It will harm the environment.”
About five years ago the company was producing 100 gallons of biodiesel a week. Today it is producing about 600 gallons in that same period. Bissoon said by using up to four solar panels “to heat the oil”, as he intends to do in the near future, he was confident weekly production of the fuel could increase to 1 000 gallons.
This was in an effort to satisfy a loyal clientele which he said travelled from near and far to fill up their tanks at his pump in St Thomas. The added plus, according to him, was the fact that a “non-toxic” soap degreaser was a by-product of the oil to biodiesel process.
“The biodiesel is going pretty well. I have approximately 35 to 40 clients that I could keep count of right now. There are mostly pickup trucks, also a few trucks that do freighting and two coaches, and some larger trucks,” he said.
“There has been a great response because they love it. It’s about the savings too. I am not that cheaper than petroleum but you get better mileage. They are glad that biodiesel is in Barbados and it’s working.
“I would love for more people to use biodiesel because it’s better for the environment; it’s cleaner. We could promote biodiesel as a green thing. It is not because it is fuel and you are making a few bucks out of it – it is more about the environment because the amount of oil that I pick up on a weekly basis shows how much an environmental problem it can be,” he added.
Bissoon currently collects between 250 and 300 gallons of used oil each week from hotels, restaurants, food vendors in Oistins and Baxters Road and households, but he said more of the product was needed to make his effort more worthwhile.
“The oil right now because of the tourist season is kind of down in supply. I am getting a little bit to survive but I am looking to get more oil. I will be very glad and very happy if people come together and just let us see what we could do with this oil instead of just putting it in the gullies or throwing it at Lonesome Hill or wherever,” he said.