Distribution center offers biodiesel, Fueling the future Bangor plant Michigan's first to produce ...

Distribution center offers biodiesel
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
A new distribution center for biodiesel, ethanol and ultra-low sulfur diesel is hosting an open house from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday at the center located in ...
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A new distribution center for biodiesel, ethanol and ultra-low sulfur diesel is hosting an open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the center located in Tamarack Business Park, 10314 Silverwood Drive in Dubuque.

The distribution center, or loading facility, will make it easier for fuel distributors to offer renewable fuels to their customers, said Tom Flogel, vice president of Mulgrew Oil.

"Both the volume and number of customers using renewable fuels has grown rapidly and doesn't seem to be slowing down. John Deere has proved to be a great patron because they are currently using soy biodiesel to factory-fill equipment coming off the lines," Flogel said.

During the open house, the Iowa Renewable Fuel Association will present Mulgrew Oil with a check for $25,000 from the Iowa Values Fund Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program. Lucy Norton, managing director of the association, said that demand for biodiesel is growing rapidly.

"This will bring the biodiesel option to dozens and dozens of gasoline stations and bulk users," Norton said.

West Central Soy is the sole provider of soy biodiesel for the new facility.

The Iowa Soybean Association will present a $25,000 check to West Central to help offset the installation costs of the biodiesel storage facility.

WHO Radio's "The Big Show" will broadcast live from the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fueling the future Bangor plant Michigan's first to produce ...
MLive.com - MI,USA
BANGOR -- Experts say increased production of biodiesel -- a fuel made from products as diverse as soybeans and chicken fat -- has the potential to reduce ...
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 BANGOR -- Experts say increased production of biodiesel -- a fuel made from products as diverse as soybeans and chicken fat -- has the potential to reduce reliance on foreign oil and stretch the efficiency of petroleum diesel fuel.

When Eaton Rapids-based Michigan Biodiesel LLC opens a $7.5 million, 10,000-square-foot biodiesel-processing plant in Bangor this summer -- the first of its kind in the state -- it will join a rapidly growing list of plants nationwide. A second Michigan biodiesel plant in the Upper Peninsula city of Gladstone is scheduled to open later this year.

As of April 28, there were 65 biodiesel plants in operation in the United States. Fifty plants were under construction as of the same date, with 45 scheduled to be operational by the end of 2006. The remainder are set to open in 2007.

The roster of those who endorse increased production of biodiesel fuel is almost as diverse as the materials that go into it.

In an April 25 speech on energy, President Bush said, ``We owe it to America to be aggressive in the use of technology'' to create biodiesel. Then there's BioWillie, a trademark name of biodiesel made by a company co-founded in 2004 by country singer Willie Nelson. BioWillie's most recent pump opened Feb. 6 in San Diego.

``Incentives to create biodiesel fuel have bipartisan support in the Legislature,'' said Jenna Higgins, spokeswoman for the St. Charles, Mo.-based National Biodiesel Board. ``Everyone recognizes the need for alternative fuel.''

That recognition has resulted in a huge increase in production in recent years, and could lead to even more in years to come.

In 2004, according to National Biodiesel Board research, 25 million gallons of biodiesel fuel was produced nationwide. That number grew to 75 million in 2005 and could top 150 million this year. The combined annual production capacity of the 65 biodiesel plants currently operating is 395 million gallons, and that number could reach 1.1 billion gallons by year's end.

The Bangor plant, in the city's industrial park on its southwest side, will be able to produce 10 million gallons per year, making it the 12th-largest producer in the nation. It is expected to create 26 jobs.

Local farmers hope the need for the raw materials for the biodiesel production process will have a trickle-down benefit for them. Gail Frahm, executive director of the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, says heightened demand for soybeans would be a welcome component of biodiesel production.

With the availability of biodiesel expected to nearly triple by year's end, the next step is educating the public on its uses, according to John Oakley, chairman of managers of Michigan Biodiesel.

Biodiesel is a ``fuel extender'' for diesel fuel in much the same way ethanol is for gasoline. Two parts biodiesel with eight parts petroleum diesel is the mix currently used.

``It takes 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel, not 10,000 gallons, to fill a 10,000-gallon tanker,'' said Oakley. ``The difference, of course, is made up by the 2,000 gallons of biodiesel (blended into the diesel fuel).''

The result is less demand for petroleum diesel, which, in turn, results in less reliance on foreign oil. Cleaner than diesel fuel, biodiesel is made from renewable resources and is domestically produced.

``Not everybody drives a diesel-powered vehicle, so there is a lot of apathy out there toward biodiesel ... what it is, how it works and its numerous benefits,'' Oakley said.

Biodiesel is an additive mixed into diesel fuel at terminals where diesel fuel is picked up by haulers. The mixing-in procedure is called splash blending.

Oakley said there are misunderstandings about uses of biodiesel, such as the fallacy that it is available only for large machinery or vehicles. Any engine that burns petroleum-based diesel fuel can also burn biodiesel.

Raw material to product

Soybean oil is the most commonly used raw material in the biodiesel production process, but corn oil, palm oil, vegetable oil, chicken fat, restaurant grease and beef tallow also are used.

The oil Michigan Biodiesel LLC uses will be from any of the aforementioned sources. Oakley said oils will arrive via rail on a spur relocated to the Bangor site, or by tractor-trailor.

The oil is converted into B100, a laboratory name for 100 percent pure biodiesel, through a lab-based procedure involving the use of alcohol, a 160-degree temperature treatment and two reactors called heat exchangers.

The introduction of a catalyst -- primarily a methanol and sodium hydroxide mix -- to the raw oil produces an end product that is 90 percent B100 and 10 percent glycerin. The glycerin is removed and used in a variety of everyday products, including food products, soaps and detergents, and cosmetics, Oakley said. The Bangor facility is expected to produce 1.2 million gallons of glycerin a year.

Meanwhile, the B100 is set aside and the alcohol is removed through an evaporation process. Oakley said this is a critical step because it further purifies the biodiesel.

``The whole conversion from green oil to biodiesel is a process not as complicated as it may sound,'' he said. ``There's a constant concern about quality, with a lab on the premises to ensure that quality.''

Oakley also said there is a chance the Bangor facility can become a zero-producer of industrial waste, as it refines its production process over time.

Biodiesel sold at truck stops and fuel stations in Michigan comes from other plants in the Midwest, primarily Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Oakley said the biodiesel produced in Bangor is likely to stay in Michigan to meet demand here.

Biodiesel does not directly result in lower diesel fuel prices. Oakley said that could change in time, but 82 percent of the cost to create biodiesel is related to acquiring the green oil needed to produce the product.

Farmers eye the process

The most usable oil in creating biodiesel is soybean oil. Frahm, of the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, said it was no coincidence the Frankenmuth-based agency and Michigan soybean farmers were major sources of funding behind the initial research and development of biodiesel.

Frahm, meanwhile, said the committee does not keep a record of Michigan farmers who provide soybeans for production of biodiesel. She said agriculturists are continuing to study various hybrids of soybeans to find the best variety for producing biodiesel.

The use of soybeans in the production of biodiesel doesn't necessarily mean area farmers will benefit if they focus on soybeans as their only crops.

``We still need corn, of course, for ethanol production,'' she said. ``And the need for soybeans, at least for the production of biodiesel, is limited to what soybean-crushing plants want.''

Oakley said Michigan Biodiesel is in negotiations with Zeeland Farm Services, a West Michigan soybean-crushing facility, on supplying soybean oil for the Bangor plant.

``If (Michigan Biodiesel LLC) wanted soybean oil, it wouldn't go to the area farmers and ask for it,'' she said. ``It's something they would have arranged with an operation like Zeeland Farm Services, after Zeeland Farm Services has made the arrangements to accept a certain amount or variety of soybeans from area farmers, for example.''

This is one of the key components of a process that Oakley said will begin an evolution in fuel usage in this area and beyond.

``Biodiesel fuels the machines that get the work done around here -- farm equipment, construction equipment, delivery trucks and school buses, for example,'' he said. ``If you drive a diesel-powered vehicle, whether it's a large piece of equipment or your own personal vehicle, you can use biodiesel.''