By Max Lindberg •
March 13, 2008
My guest today is no stranger to the subject of biofuels. Clayton began experimenting with small-scale biodiesel production at Oregon State University. Of his many projects to produce and use a local fuel source, he was involved in the construction of a biodiesel reactor designed to convert waste cafeteria oil into biodiesel for use in OSU campus vehicles.
Clayton has an Honors B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Utah. […]
By Jason Phillip •
March 11, 2008
Dominick’s grocery stores, which operates 99 stores in the Midwest, announced in January that it will become the first Illinois retailer to convert its entire truck fleet to biodiesel. By converting 78 tractors and 350 refrigerated trailers to B20 biodiesel, the grocer projects a 1,457,256 pound reduction in its yearly carbon emissions.
For many Chicagoans, this announcement may alter the perception of a large grocery chain not known for being particularly green. In the Second City, Dominick’s is sort of the Pepsi to to Jewel-Osco’s Coke. These two large mainstream grocery stores are known for having stores in many of the city’s neighborhoods, and for serving very large portions of the populace with conventional packaged food and some organic produce. If you’re not a dedicated organic foodie doing your shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s (or at farmer’s markets or CSAs), chances are you’re a Dominick’s or Jewel regular.
It just looks like a pile of trash to most of us, but a new cellulosic ethanol facility may start making a renewable fuel from cardboard and other wood wastes. See the story here.
Photo Credit
The first commercial cellulosic ethanol facility to convert waste wood materials into a renewable fuel went online last month near Upton, Wyoming. After 6 years of development, KL Process Design Group, in conjunction with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, has produced a proprietary enzymatic method to break down wood and waste materials, such as cardboard and paper:
KL’s cellulosic ethanol plant is converting waste wood into a renewable fuel. “It is now possible to economically convert discarded wood into a clean burning, sustainable alternate motor fuel” said Randy Kramer, president of KL Process Design Group, a design firm that has been working in corn ethanol. “We’re proud of what this small company has accomplished, and believe that our design will be a cornerstone from which we can build our country’s renewable fuel infrastructure providing a better source of motor fuel, starting today.”
The press release makes no mention of production volumes or plans for expansion (I’m currently contacting KL about this), but the company could be the first to capitalize on the massive potential of cellulosic ethanol, namely, making fuel from waste products (see earlier post).
A University of Minnesota study found that using higher blends of ethanol (20%) blended into gasoline did not cause damage or cause performance problems when used in standard gasoline engines.
Over half the gasoline sold in the US is already blended with 10% ethanol (E10), but higher blends were thought to run the risk of causing engine damage. Higher blends of ethanol, up to 85% (E85), will only work properly in engines converted to accept the fuel.
Using 40 pairs of vehicles commonly found on American roads, a year-long research effort found that increasing ethanol blends from 10 percent (E10) to 20 percent (E20) in a gallon of gasoline provided an effective fuel across a range of tests focusing on driveability and materials compatibility.
This is the first car (I’m aware of) to run on biodiesel made from algae. It debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. See the story here: First Cars Run on Algae Biodiesel; Breakthrough Production Possible - Gas 2.0.
