Glossary of Terms for Vegetable Oil or Cooking Grease Related Products and Processes

It can be difficult to know all of the related rendering, restaurant and biofuel industry terms related to cooking grease, various oils, blends and processes so we have attempted to describe some of those here to help you understand.

Biofuel: Any fuel or mixture of fuels that is derived in whole or part from agricultural products and is suitable for diesel engines. (U.S. Dept. of Energy). 

Brown grease: A waste vegetable oil, animal fat, grease, etc. that is recovered from a waste water component called a grease trap.

Canola oil: A vegetable oil made from rapeseed; it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids.

Coconut Oil: The fatty oil obtained from the coconut and used in cosmetics.

Cubies: A slang term that typically refers to 5 gallon containers that a restaurant might buy bulk vegetable oil in.

Grease trap: (also known as grease interceptors, and grease recovery devices) A plumbing device that captures grease entering a system before it reaches the sewer lines. Usually used in commercial applications such as restaurants or cafeterias.

Hydrogenated Oil: Unsaturated oils that have had hydrogen added to them to solidify them and make them more resistant to spoilage.

Lard: Pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms.

Methanol: (also referred to as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood spirit) A colorless, volatile, water-soluble, poisonous liquid used in the production of biodiesel

Palm Oil: Oil from the fruit of certain palms, esp. the West African oil palm.

Peak Oil: - The point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline.

Reactor: (also called processor) The container used to process vegetable oil into biodiesel.

Rendering:  Any processing of animal products into more useful materials, or more narrowly to the rendering of whole animal fatty tissue into purified fats like lard or tallow.

Shortening: Any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry

Sunflower Oil: Non-volatile oil compressed from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds.

Tallow:  A rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet, it is solid at room temperature.

Titration: A chemical procedure to determine the amount of catalyst required to neutralize the excess fatty acids in waste vegetable oil.

Tote: Most often refers to and intermediate bulk container made of durable plastic in either 275 or 330 gallon sizes.

Transesterification: A reaction in which one ester is converted into another. It is the chemical conversion of vegetable oil into biodiesel.

Triglyceride:  Any ester of glycerol and one or more carboxylic acids, in which each glycerol molecule has combined with three carboxylic acid molecules. Most natural fats and oils are triglycerides. 

Vegetable Oil:  Any of a large group of oils that are esters of fatty acids and glycerol, obtained from the leaves, fruit, or seeds of plants. 

Yellow Grease: Typically referring to the vegetable oil sourced from deep fryers and frying oils. 

Quick Guide to WVO Industry Acronyms

B20 - blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel 

B99 - blend of 99% biodiesel and 1% diesel

BD - biodiesel

CFIA - Canada Food Inspection Agency

CRD - common rail diesel

E20 - blend of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline

E85 - blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline

EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
(United States)

FAME - Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (chemical name for biodiesel)

FFA - free fatty acid

FOG - fats, oils, and grease

IBC - Intermediate Bulk Container

*KOH - Potassium Hydroxide

MIU - Moisture, Impurities and Unsaponifiables

MOE - Ministry of the Environment (Canada)

*NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide (lye)

PPO - Pure Plant Oil 

SVO - straight vegetable oil

TDI - turbo diesel injection

UCO - used cooking oil

UVO - used vegetable oil

WVO - waste vegetable oil

VO - vegetable oil