Here is my latest scheme. It involves palm trees, landscaping, and a company from India.       

Although I don't think they're native to California palm trees grow everywhere. Just in southern California lets say there are 100,000 trees. Each tree produces  2 bunches of nuts. Each bunch weighs let's say 50 pounds times two bunches per tree. You can get 20% oil from each bunch. If my calculations are correct (and they probably aren't I suck at math) that equals 2 million gallons of biodiesel. 

I can already here the noise coming from nay sayers. Some say biodiesel is bad for people because it takes away their food and makes them cut down rainforests to support the plantations. This is possible but not necessary. I have yet to see anyone gathering the palm nuts on my way to work. Instead neighbors generally push the nuts back and forth across property lines until the street sweeper picks them up or they just disintegrate.

Those who really care what their yards look like (I can't believe people grow grass in the desert it looks like crap compared to the yards in Minnesota) pay landscapers to climb up their palms and trim the bunches and leaves. So maybe I could get Project 300 mounted with the refining equipment and then have myself a little oil company.  I would call it The Mobile Oil Company.

Maybe I could install funnels to catch the nuts so it would make for less labor?

I think palm oil has overtaken soy oil as the #1 biodiesel.

Here is a letter from the Tinytech Company in India 

Dear Mr. Jason Thompson,
 
Details about TINYTECH OIL MILL Plant :-
 
Details about TINYTECH PALM KERNEL  OIL MILL Plant
(Return on investment within 2 to 3 months only) :-
 
Price : USD 8300 + Freight
Crushing Capacity : 3  tons oil seeds  in 24 hours.
Output : 1000 Liters pure, filtered, natural cooking oil.
Suitability : For crushing groundnut, sesame, cottonseed, mustard, rapeseed, lineseed, copra, castor seed, palm kernel, sunflower, sea nut, Jatropha, Neem seed, Pongomia, Karite, Canola  etc.
Power : 15 hp 3-phase,  is required.
Man power : 2 persons can operate entire plant.
Space required :-  300 to 400 square feet say... 15 feet x 20 feet Room.
Shipment volume :- 5 cubic meter (Approx.)
Weight of machinery :- 2 tones (Approx)
Delivery : within 10 days on payment.
 
If you buy 3 tons oil mill, your daily turn over in this plant will be USD 2600 ( Oil production 1000 liter x Rate USD 2 per liter = USD 2000 + cake 2 tons x USD 300 per ton = USD 2600 ) Figures are approx. & keep changing in diffrent countries.
 
To get Online instant proforma invoice for TINYTECH OIL MILL for  desired crushing capacity, for crushing desired oilseed, log on http://www.tinytechindia.com & on the Home page following line will appear.


Please Click HERE To Get Online Proforma Invoice Of Tiny Oil Mill

 



So you can click on this line & start filling the form.
I think you should select PALMKERNEL in seeds selection & 3 tons per day in capacity selection.
 
Kindly wait for 5 seconds soon after you select " Country Of Installation " & " Oilseeds To Be Crushed"
As soon as you complete filling form, click ...
"VIEW PROFORMA INVOICE "
so you can see proforma invoice on your computer screen.
Then please click the bottom line...
"CLICK HERE TO GET THIS PROFORMA INVOICE TO YOUR EMAIL ID"
to get same proforma invoice in your email box.
 
Electric motor driven TINYTECH oil mill :
(1) Installation is very easy. In 5 to  8  hours time, you can install the machinery and start the production of oil. Ready foundation frames will be supplied and you have to simply place the expeller and electric motor on it and connect it by V belt as shown in our catalogue / web site. Foundations of any machines in ground not required.
(2) When mill is running it is very silent. There is no noise.
(3) It becomes very compact unit as there is no intermediate counter shaft. It occupies less space and you can shift the machinery very easily from one place to another as and when required.
(4) You should have 3 phase 415 volts +10% electric power connection or electric power generator. ( infact you should inform us what is your exact 3 phase power specifications while ordering, so that we can supply electric motors accordingly. )
(5) we will pack machinery in  very sturdy steel boxes, which after emptying the machinery can be used as oil storage tank each of 2500 liter oil.  So storage of oil will not be a problem for you. 
(6) It is complete project and you need not purchase anything locally.
(7) Only 2 to 3 persons can run entire oil mill.
 
Regards,
 
Gopal Desai
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From :-
TINYTECH PLANTS
(Biggest Manufacturer & Exporter of TINYTECH  Oil Machinery to 77 countries)
Tagore Road, Rajkot - 360002, INDIA
Mobile : 91- 92 27 60 62 64
Phone : 91-281-2480166
Fax     : 91-281-2467552
Email  : tinytech@tinytechindia.com
Web  : www.tinytechindia.com