Freedom Fries(Biodiesel as a Viable alternative)

The Other Paper ^ | 2-16-06 | Sara Smith

[FreeLuna]

My wife wrote this story...not bad for her first professional article, eh? She's hoping to continue freelance writing and I tease her that she's becoming part of the liberal media.(I laugh nervously!)

[soccer_maniac]

http://www.gm.com/company/onlygm/livegreengoyellow/

[soccer_maniac]

Read up on GM's E85 campaign at www.LiveGreenGoYellow.com

[xcamel]

Biodisel is the best alternative, better mileage, more power output, easier on the energy load used to make it.

1 gallon of "oil equivalent" fuel gives you only .7 gals of ethanol
1 gallon of "oil equivalent" fuel gives you 1.332 gallons of biodiesel.

kind of a no-brainer.
(turbo diesels also about 1.6 times better mileage per BHp)

[xcamel]

E for ethanol is for corn farmers on crack

[Armedanddangerous]

Theres a guy in the next town here who owns two pizza joints. He runs a funky looking little diesel VW pickup on the fuel he gets from pizza runoff.

Anything that works, is reliable, and gives the finger to the saudis, I am all for.

The question is, is this something that could be made in large enough quantities to be worth the publics while?

[Cicero]

This particular story should be something that liberals and conservatives can agree on. Recycling a waste product, no federal money supporting it, homegrown ingenuity producing it.

[avile]

can our farmers produce enough to get us off petrol?

[P-40]

My wife wrote this story...not bad for her first professional article, eh?


I enjoyed the article; it is on par with the articles on biodiesel that the Wall Street Journal runs with some regularity.

If she writes another article on biodiesel I hope she will research an area of the biofuels debate that I push...namely that it be a profitable venture. From my old farming days I remember when we would plant a waste crop of soybeans to hold the soil in place during the off season and to fix nitrogen in the soil. We would never harvest the soybeans but would plow it under for mulch. It may be very profitable for a farmer to plant a summer cash crop of cotton or maize and then plant a winter crop of soybeans. There are many areas of the nation where it does not get cold enough to not have a winter crop. Could make for a good story.

And of course she will need to interview Willie Nelson at some point about his BioWillie Blend. :)

[FreeLuna]

My wife has talked to a guy who is running a 30 acre farm on nothing but biodiesel. He can produce 120 gallons of fuel in two days and it is all used fryer oil! What is great about this is that there is no need to create a new infrastructure. Apparently this farmer guy is afraid of expanding his operation because there are no immediate tax benefits for the politicos and he fears repercussions from the government. I can't figure out why we(the politicians) aren't doing more with biodiesel...It Must have to do with money(Them not getting any that is)

[Freedom_no_exceptions]

This particular story should be something that liberals and conservatives can agree on. Recycling a waste product, no federal money supporting it, homegrown ingenuity producing it.

All's well until someone starts making......wait for it......wait for it......a profit. Then we'll start seeing endless articles on working conditions at biodiesel plants, accusations of corporate malfeasance, union complaints, an Eliot Spitzer lawsuit, etc., etc.

[MaDeuce]

I'd love to run a good blend of the stuff in my 2003 Jetta TDI and my '97 Dodge Cummins Diesel truck ... mainly in the spring/summer/fall months only since Bio jells up a lot easier than regular diesel.

I know that when someone switches to a good blend of the stuff (20% or more bio to dino diesel), you have to change out the fuel filter at about 500 miles and then again at another 1000 to get all the crud the bio cleans out of the tank and pump.

[sausageseller]

At a time when even an old oil man like George W. Bush is pitching alternative fuels,

OLD oil man?

Sounds like looney left speak to me.

Please tell her I did liked the article.

I make my own biodiesel. I am a capitalist. It is about the money for me!

[Darnright]

http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/pressreleases/fle/20030616_military_users.pdf

U.S. Military Facilities Increasingly Fill Up With Biodiesel
Alternative Fuel Helps Strengthen U.S. Energy Security, Protect the Environment

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – From the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to Everett Naval
Station in the Puget Sound area of Washington, military installations across the country are choosing to use
biodiesel blends in their diesel-powered vehicles. Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning fuel made from renewable fats or
vegetable oils that can help increase U.S. energy security by reducing dependence on foreign sources of oil.
Biodiesel can be used as a pure fuel (B100) or can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel. It can be used in
diesel engines with few or no modifications. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all use B20, a mixture
of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel, at different bases and stations throughout the country. Of the four
branches, the U.S. Marine Corps uses B20 at the most locations.

“We use biodiesel to help us meet our federal alternative fuel requirements, to reduce our petroleum fuel
consumption to meet the Executive Order directing the government to do so, and on a third level it is just the right
thing to do,” said Tim Campbell, Headquarters Marine Corps GME Program Manager. “We’ve had no reported
maintenance issues. I asked the bases to contact me with their experiences, negative or positive, with biodiesel. I
received only positive feedback.”

Most of the military installations using biodiesel obtain it through the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC),
which coordinates the federal government’s fuel purchases. “DESC is the largest single purchaser of biodiesel in
this country,” said Pam Serino of DESC. “We've been procuring B20 for our administrative vehicles for three years.
For the contract period 2003-2004 we have requirements totaling 5.2 million gallons at numerous military and
civilian locations throughout the country. B20 is the easiest way for the federal government to meet the
requirements of the Energy Policy Act, and we have found B20 to perform equal to petroleum-based diesel fuel
while reducing toxic chemical emissions that pollute our environment.”

Dozens of military installations use biodiesel nationwide, including:

• U.S. Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC: Has used biodiesel for about a year in approximately 300
to 400 pieces of equipment -- buses, caterpillar tractors, bulldozers, motor graters, etc. They currently use
about 147,800 gallons of B20 a year.

• U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, AZ.: Has used B20 since January 2002 and are currently using
7,600 gallons a month. They use biodiesel in all diesel-powered, government owned, non-tactical
commercial vehicles such as trucks and forklifts.

• Scott Air Force Base, Illinois: Located about 30 miles east of St. Louis, serves as headquarters for 12 Air
Mobility Command (AMC) bases throughout the nation. Two AMC bases currently use B20: Scott AFB
has used B20 since April 2001 and uses about 75,000 gallons annually. McChord AFB (Tacoma,
Washington) has used approximately 33,000 gallons since October 2002.

• Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, CO: Five Air Force Space
Command bases use B20: Peterson (Colorado Springs, CO); Vandenberg (Lompoc, CA); FE Warren
(Cheyenne, WY); Malmstrom (Great Falls, MT); Patrick (Cocoa Beach, FL). They have been using
biodiesel since December 2001. “We have taken a leadership position in the Air Force in the alternative
fuel arena, issuing some type of alternative product at all of our major units,” said Mr. Chuck McGarvey,
Air Force Space Command’s fuels manager. “We must be responsible stewards of our natural resources,
leaving behind a clean environment for our children and a nation not dependent on foreign oil.”

• Everett Naval Station, Everett, Washington: Located in the Puget Sound area, this station has used
about 50 thousand gallons of B20 a year since 2001. The switch to biodiesel was virtually seamless,
according to transportation director Gary Passmore. “Older equipment took a filter change, but newer
equipment needed nothing,” he said. “It went so smooth that no one really noticed.”

• Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, Missouri: Began using biodiesel in March 2003. The base plans on
using about 115,000 gallons of B20 annually.

• U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, GA: Has used biodiesel throughout the base for three years
in about 375 non-tactical diesel vehicles including tractor trailers, forklifts, three-ton trucks, graders, farm
tractors and in emergency generators. The base used 50,000-60,000 gallons of biodiesel last year. “We
love biodiesel and have experienced no problems whatsoever since switching to the fuel three years ago,”
said Mike Elliott, GME Fleet Manager. “We see biodiesel as a way to buy American and strengthen our
national energy security by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.”

“The U.S. currently imports approximately 60 percent of its oil -- of that, 800,000 barrels of oil a day come from
Iraq,” added National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Executive Director Joe Jobe. “We're jeopardizing our own national
security by being dependent on foreign sources of oil. That's why biodiesel and the military are such a natural
fit. The military is proactively addressing energy security by using biodiesel and is setting a positive example for
the rest of the nation.”

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous Health Effects testing required by the Clean Air
Act. Results show biodiesel poses less of a risk to human health than petroleum diesel. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a comprehensive technical report of biodiesel emissions data that shows
the exhaust emissions of particulate matter from pure biodiesel are about 47 percent lower than overall particulate
matter emissions from diesel. Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health hazard. Biodiesel
emissions also reduce by 80 to 90 percent potential cancer causing compounds called Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH. Biodiesel also reduces emissions of total unburned hydrocarbons, a
contributing factor to smog and ozone, by about 68 percent. Carbon monoxide is reduced by about 48 percent.
Biodiesel can be made from any fat or vegetable oil, such as soybean oil. Soybean checkoff dollars, through the
United Soybean Board and state soybean board checkoff programs, have played a significant role in developing the
U.S. biodiesel industry. Biodiesel has similar horsepower, torque and BTU content compared to petroleum diesel.
It offers excellent lubricity and higher cetane than diesel fuel. Biodiesel is registered with the EPA as a fuel and fuel
additive. About 300 major fleets currently use biodiesel nationwide.

Readers can learn more about biodiesel by visiting http://www.biodiesel.org.

[P-40]

Apparently this farmer guy is afraid of expanding his operation because there are no immediate tax benefits for the politicos and he fears repercussions from the government.


There are tax breaks available *from* the government for producing biofuels. Lots of dollars are flowing into investments in this area right now and were even before there were a lot of goodies from the government for doing so.

[FreeLuna]

I said 30 acre farm ...I meant 300 acre farm...big difference. Sorry 'bout that. The guy runs a 300 acre farm on biodiesel.

[R W Reactionairy]

"It Must have to do with money(Them not getting any that is)"

I applaud your effort. Economically viable at almost any crude oil price and probably carrying a certain sense of accomplishment.

Now for what I see as the problem with "doing more with bio diesel." Bio diesel from fryer waste is great ... but the feedstock from deep fryers is limited. Bio diesel from crops raised specifically for fuel is at best a open question once all the factors of production are considered.

[Armedanddangerous]

What I want to know is this.

Let us say I found a nice older diesel pick up, like a ford F350. Like I've wanted to buy for a while.

Would I have to modify it to use bio?

[FreeLuna]

This may be true...but biodeisel it is small scale right now. He has friends in other countries, I think he mentioned Australia, who said that as soon as the tried to expand their production to serious gallons the heat came down. I didn't talk to the guy myself,but, I will ask my wife for more details on this guys concerns.

[FreeLuna]

No, that's what's great about it. You would have to replace your fuel filter soon though because the biodiesel would clean so much gunk out of your engine it would clog it up quick.