Make Biodiesel Anywhere (mobile biodiesel processor)

[jpak]

http://www.renewableaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50440

Somewhere in between the avid garage-based hobbyist brewing a biodiesel concoction and massive oil conglomerates investing in big biodiesel factories is the mid-market biodiesel producer and user.

"These clients have everything to gain by producing biodiesel in a location that's convenient for them."--Eric McLeod, Founder and CEO, PNE

Recognizing a need for a more manageable and realistic approach to biodiesel production, LA-based, Pacific Natural Energy (PNE), has created the BioBox, a mobile processing plant that turns waste vegetable oil into high-quality biodiesel.

Able to be located at or near the source of waste, and requiring 2000 square feet of vacant land, PNE's BioBox system includes 4 - 20' cargo containers, the reactor, a hazmat storage container and 2 - 6,000 gallon storage tanking systems.

(not much more>

[ixion]

1. while bio-fuel may provide a (very) temporary solution, it will create others, as

currently evidenced by the increase in food prices due to the increase in corn prices due to the increased demand for corn to make bio-fuel.

The solution needs to be renewable energy resources, rather than non-renewable things, like combustible fuel.

[AlecBGreen]

2. huh?

"non-renewable things like combustible fuel"

Last time I checked, wood IS renewable.

[kestrel91316]

3. Biofuels ARE renewable. Your point about them competing with our

food supply is completely valid, however.

IMHO the only biodiesel we should be using at this point in time is that made from WASTE oils, that would otherwise go into landfills.

[zalinda]

4. You are right, we need to figure out what to do with our

waste. Methane should be considered for running city vehicles. We could easily get methane from land fills and sewage treatment plants.

zalinda

[kestrel91316]

5. Los Angeles has been using sewage sludge to produce biogas for

electricity production on a HUGE scale for over 50 years. Everybody else needs to get on board and stop releasing this valuable resource (and nasty greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere.

http://www.lasewers.org/treatment_plants/hyperion/index.htm

[Nihil]

8. Why don't more cities DO this?

From your link:
> 650 tons of biosolids sent to Green Acres Farm per day as a fertilizer
> and soil amendment; 8 million cubic feet of biogas converted to
> electricity per day

And, unstated, that much crap (literally!) removed from the water system.

[kestrel91316]

11. Yeah. And then a lot of the reclaimed water is used to water vegetation along

public thoroughfares/freeways, and some goes into the Sepulveda Wildlife Area lake for bird habitat.

http://www.laparks.org/dos/horticulture/sepulvedabasin.htm

[madokie]

9. I think so too

we have a local man who has converted his big suv to run on oil that he collects from charlies chickens food places and said he is taking into account everything except his time, he's retired, and it is costing him approximately a quarter a gallon for fuel. He spent a couple grand in the conversion and putting his filtering system together though. He starts it on diesel then when the temperature gets up he can switch it over to the oil and it runs fine.

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. biofuel oil need not compete with food crops

Algae is the most promising biodiesel feedstock. It has been estimated that only a small portion of our desert lands could provide all the fuel needed.

Cropland could continue to be cropland.

[Nihil]

12. ?

> Algae is the most promising biodiesel feedstock. It has been estimated
> that only a small portion of our desert lands could provide all the fuel
> needed.

I agree with your first sentence but all the algae I've heard about require
water ... which would tend to rule out your "desert lands" location?

:shrug:

I would have thought that growing algae on the processed wastewater around
large cities (after extracting the biogas & fertilizer solids) would be the
best option as you wouldn't have to transport the final product far to get
to the users.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. Algae need mostly water and sun.

oil-producing Algae are best grown in a strict monoculture. Large scale photobioreactors (usually a long flexible-membrane tube) are being developed. Since no contaminants can be tolerated in their system (non oil-producing algae quickly dominate in an open pond) the water is a closed loop.

Photobioreactors only need additional water to the extent that some is lost during oil harvesting. It is estimated that algae, given large scale photobioreactor cultivation could create 100,000 liters of oil per hectare, enough to fuel 100 efficient cars. That's a yield that is 100X more than can be obtained by growing sunflowers, and it's not dependent on fertile soil.

[Nihil]

15. Thanks

I didn't realise that the water was effectively closed-loop ... I thought
it was consumed during production (and thus largely lost during harvesting).

If it's a closed system requiring minimal top-up then I understand your point!

:hi:

[4dsc]

14. Biofuels should not be considered renewable

because they are not sustainable!! Its a rather simple conclusion about biofuels that needs to be repeated often..

[AlecBGreen]

16. what are you smoking?

"Biofuels should not be considered renewable because they are not sustainable!!"

Are you saying there is no (NO!) way we can manufacture biofuels sustainably? How about switchgrass, native grass praries, hemp? Wood waste, farm waste, biosolids, waste oil, algae, coppicing?

[jaksavage]

6. Another use for hemp nt

[diane in sf]

7. One can reuse all that used restaurant grease to make biodiesel--good for

cities.