Man Fuels Car With Fryer Oil

 In a crowded shed in Broken Arrow, a quiet revolution is taking place. Using materials found in any kitchen, Pete Sottnik is filtering a powerful substance he's gathered from the back alleys of Tulsa and people he's met on Craig's List.

"You've got to do something to get by, to make life a little bit easier," said Sottnik.

He's found that his Volkswagen diesel runs just fine on used cooking oil.

"You can get (it) for free most of the time from restaurants," remarked Sottnik.

Sottnik has also placed ads on the Craig's List website looking for donated fryer oil.

He filters the oil several times and then mixes one gallon of diesel with four gallons of the vegetable oil. The ambient temperature during the summer months is high enough to keep the oil from gelling. With the price of diesel hitting $4.50 a gallon, Sottnik says it's worth the time and mess involved. So, how does his bug run?

"I actually think it runs better than when it runs on straight diesel," commented Sottnik.  "It's a great way of saving the environment and reusing something that was going to be put into the landfill anyway."

What about the smell coming from the tail-pipe?  Sottnik says it smells like French fries.  We asked him if it smells like anything else.  Sottnik chuckled, "smells like money in my wallet."

By Chris Howell, NewsOn6.com Video Journalist