Growing Interest In Biodiesel | Green Energy News

November 24, 2002 – Vol.7 No.35

GROWING INTEREST IN BIODIESEL.

Picture this. Below the slowly turning rotor of a megawatt-class wind turbine a farmer tills his soil in a tractor fueled by his own crops. With more fuel derived from his crops than he could possibly use, the remainder is sold through his cooperative to markets around the globe. The cooperative, the producer of the biofuel, operates its production facility on power from the farmer’s turbine. That turbine, like others in the area, is also providing power to the grid, and the sale of the wind-generated electricity provides even more income for the farmer tilling his land on his biodiesel fueled tractor.

(Whether or not the farmer is also collecting his portion of carbon credits for his clean power generation and greenhouse gas neutral fuel crops would depend on how sophisticated a carbon trading system could become.)

Sound far-fetched? Not in the least. Utility scale wind turbines are beginning to catch the attention of farmers with a saleable crop of wind above their fields. (The German dominance in wind energy began with turbines in farmer’s fields.)

Now biodiesel is gaining the attention of farmers and agri-businessmen.

--- Global Commodities of the U.K. is planning to expand its annual production of its driveECO biodiesel from 2.64 million gallons to more than 47.5 million gallons with a new production facility. The company now employs 8, but that could go to as high as 150 with the expanded production. Visit Global Commodities at http://www.globeco.co.uk/

--- Nook Farm, in Little Stukeley in the U.K., will grow the first Carbon-Certified (tm) crop in the world which guarantees emission reductions when converted to biodiesel.

From 35 acres on the farm almost 8000 gallons of rapeseed oil which will be processed to biodiesel and blended with petroleum diesel to make GlobalDiesel offered by Greenergy. Global Diesel is 5 percent rapeseed oil and 95 percent Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel. Greenergy offers the Carbon-Certified (tm) brand for its energy products. Visit Greenergy at http://www.greenergy.com/

--- Power Plus Technologies, of Ruthvan, Iowa, has received a $500,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Value Added Market Development program. The funds will be used to help the start-up and operation of a soy biodiesel plant.

--- American Bio-Fuels (ABF), an affiliate of Green Star Products, has signed a joint venture expansion agreement with Hondo Chemical. ABF plans to expand its biodiesel production from 2.5 million gallons per year to 15 million gallons utilizing space and infrastructure at Hondo’s facility in Bakersfield, California. ABF plans to begin production early in 2003.

--- The Zebulon, North Carolina-based Grain Growers Cooperative is looking for 35 acres in the eastern part of the state to build a biodiesel plant. To be near soy farmers as well as highways and rail lines, the $45 million plant will produce 10 -12 million gallons of soy-based biodiesel each year. Six counties have applied to have the plant built in their jurisdictions.

The project received $10 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, a non-profit created to invest $2.3 billion from the state’s share of the national tobacco settlement.

--- To improve the distribution of biodiesel in Iowa, Cenex(tm) is in partnership with Soy Solutions in a new loading facility in Milford. Petroleum diesel fuel distributors now have easy access to biodiesel which they can blend with petroleum diesel as a new product to offer to customers in Northwest Iowa and Southwest Minnesota. Soy Solutions is also offering a 100% (B100) soy based biodiesel. Visit them at the Farmers Coop Elevator Company at http://www.farmerscoopelev.com/ (click Soy Solutions)

--- Montana farmers that now grow canola in crop rotation are considering biodiesel as a new market for the canola. With a $46,300 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Peaks and Prairies Oil Seed Growers Cooperative has launched a feasibility study for an oilseed pressing plant and biorefinery which could produce 10 million gallons per year from canola, mustard, crambe, camelina, safflower and sunflower seeds. The plant could eventually employ as many as 50 people.

The Coop is also considering plans to build several small plants that could feed the main facility. Members in the Coop would receive revenues from sale of the feedstock as well as profits from the sale of the biodiesel fuel.

--- And for the U.S. market where diesel passenger vehicles are limited to a few models from Volkswagen and some diesel light trucks, DaimlerChrysler will offer its popular Liberty mini-SUV with a diesel engine in 2004. Since biodiesel fuel can run without modifications in any diesel engine, a Liberty diesel could become another green vehicle when running on biodiesel. (It should be noted that a surprising number of vehicles common on U.S. roads are available as diesels in other countries. All could operate on biodiesel.)