THE age of do-it-yourselfdiesel has arrived, thanks to the innovative work of a Southend company.

LiquidNRG, based on a site by the A127, allows drivers to make their own biodiesel at a fuel tax and VAT-free rate of £1 a litre – compared to the £1.35 a litre you’ll fork out at the pumps.

At the heart of LiquidNRG’s operation is a unique patented machine, the “dieseldroid”, which transforms rapeseed or soy oil into fuel at the press of a button.

LiquidNRG’s founder Rob Beardwell said: “LiquidNRG is made possible because of a regulation which allows a domestic user up to 2,500 litres of biodiesel tax-free. The proviso is you have to make it yourself.”

Construction company boss Rob spent more than two years developing the technology, setting up patents in 28 countries, and ensuring LiquidNRG complies fully with all regulations.

He said: “We are in this for the long term, and it’s important the concept is taken seriously.

“This is not some back-street operation peddling a few barrels of used fish and chip oil.

“We worked closely with Fenwick Elliott, leading specialists in the law relating to the energy industry, to ensure we are compliant in every respect.”

Rob has been filling his own Range Rover solely with LiquidNRG product.

He said: “Performance wise, you don’t notice the difference and the biodiesel can mix with conventional diesel from a garage forecourt, if, say, you’re going on a long journey.

“I haven’t been to a garage forecourt for a year.”

The dieseldroid, which is about the size of an office drinks dispensing machine, processes rape or soy oil, which LiquidNRG supplies for the customer.

Twenty-four hours later, carbon- neutral green diesel emerges at the other end. The process is all done in the machine.

Eventually Rob plans to market the machines himself. He believes theywill have particular value in remote parts of the world or in disaster zones.

He said: “You can make a batch of diesel, use a small amount to power the generator to make the next batch, and after that, the process is self-perpetuating.”

But for now, LiquidNRG is concentrating on domestic customers, who simply have to push a green button on the machine to start the process going.

Rob said: “It establishes them, for legal purposes, as the maker of that particular batch.”

The diesel is then delivered to the customer’s home.

It is dispensed via a “convenience pack”, also developed by LiquidNRG, which is a fuel-pump powered from a vehicle’s lighter socket.

! For more information about the process, visit www.liquidnrg.

co.uk