Troublesome Times: Biofuels in Washington

Troublesome Times: Biofuels in Washington

Biofuels are better for the environment but still have minimal impact.

By Colby Farvour
WASHINGTON - Recent decades have seen an increasing interest into alternative fuel sources. One of those fuels is known as biodiesel and its potential for a permanent alternative to fossil fuels is very real.
“Biofuels are definitely a long term solution,” says University of Idaho Professor and member of its Biodiesel Education Program Dr. Jon Von Gerpen.
Dr. Gerpen has been studying biodiesel for nearly 16 years and has been teaching at U of I for the last 5 years. Dr. Gerpen says that biodiesel has great potential, but the market in the northwest simply can’t support it. The types of crops needed to produce biodiesel aren’t being grown.
Biodiesel can be produced from a variety of “feedstock” crops from which the seeds are harvested and then processed. They include canola, mustard, rapeseed and soy among others. Soy is the most common feedstock crop used in the U.S. for biodiesel production, but the Pacific Northwest can support Soy crops due to the region’s climate. One of the crops produced in Washington is Canola, but the amount is minimal.
“Canola, one of the only crops that we can grow in Washington is grown on extremely limited acres,” says President and founder of Imperium Renewables John Plaza, “less than 5,000 acres total for the whole state.”
Imperium Renewables is a Seattle based company that owns two large-scale biofuel production plants in Washington. Its Grays Harbor facility (Imperium Grays Harbor) is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and it can produce up to 100 million gallons a year of biodiesel.
Plaza says the infrastructure and market are ready and can work, but large purchasers are hesitant to invest in biodiesel when it is currently more expensive than petroleum diesel, especially with current economic trends.
The majority of Washington farmers grow Wheat because it is the most profitable crop that can be produced in this regions climate.
“For a Washington farmer to grow Canola instead of Wheat is a massive risk for little reward,” Plaza reports. Plaza also said that Imperium worked with Washington farmers to expand Canola crops but they were unsuccessful.

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BIODIESEL IN BRIEF

Biodiesel is produced from renewable resources and emits on average less than half of the harmful greenhouse gasses and carcinogens that petroleum diesel does. In small production, like that of a homeowner, biodiesel can be produced with used cooking oil and be ready to pump in about two days or less and cost much less than regular diesel.
According to the National Biodiesel Board, this renewable fuel is less toxic than table salt and degrades nearly as fast as sugar. Biodiesel was initially tested and approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in 1999 and again in 2001. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress have implemented many programs and legislation to encourage the production of biodiesel. Many view biodiesel as a practical long term alternative to fossil fuels.

“…when oil prices spike, innovation happens.”

CHALLENGING TIMES

Despite the fact that biodiesel is a renewable fuel source and releases many times less the amount of greenhouse gasses, carcinogens and particulates than petroleum diesel, it still hasn’t been implemented on a big enough scale to exploit those attributes. Several issues still slow the implementation of biodiesel on a larger state, federal and global scale.
“Governments fuel consumption accounts for very large amounts of fuel and by using the government fleets’ ability to leverage for biofuels,” Plaza adds, ”more progress could be made in the development of new crops to grow for biofuels.”
Research and Development will continue to be an integral role in the effort to create a stronger biodiesel market.
But one factor that the biodiesel market has been trying to address all along seems to be causing it the greatest trouble; Fossil fuels.
The petroleum market has fluctuated significantly over the last four decades and the U.S.’s idea about fossil fuel independence has followed along with the rollercoaster like petroleum market.
“By petroleum prices dropping, all demand for alternatives for petroleum lose momentum for development and market access,” Plaza continues, “Over and over when oil prices spike, innovation happens. When oil prices fall we go back to consumption of petroleum like addicts.”
The day when fossil fuels run out is approaching though it may not be in the immediate future.
“The era of cheap, easy to find oil is over,” says Plaza.
Biodiesel does have the potential to take the place of fossil fuels. But biodiesel alone can’t make the U.S., or the world for that fact, end its obsession with oil alone.
“Biodiesel is a piece of the puzzle, but not the whole solution,” says Dr. Gerpen.


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