The biodiesel division of ranching company Bently Agrowdynamics has created its own company and started biodiesel production, according to plant General Manager Carlo Luri. Bently Biofuels in Minden, Nev., produced its first batch of biodiesel Nov. 2.

The plant, built and designed by Hawaii-based Pacific Biodiesel, will use several feedstocks to produce 1 MMgy of biodiesel once the facility is in full production tentatively scheduled for the end of this year. Luri said the plant will use canola oil grown by Bently Agrowdynamics as a feedstock and also experiment with tallow, yellow grease and recycled restaurant grease. "It is hard to soybeans in this part of the country," Luri said. "Being a batch process, we have a lot of flexibility."

Bently Biofuels will sell its own biodiesel. Approximately 25 percent of total production will be sold in Bently Agrowdynamics vehicles, Luri said. The rest will be used locally in Nevada and across the California border, five miles away. "We're close to Lake Tahoe, and there's a lot of environmental consciousness there," Luri added.

A unique feature of Bently Biofuels is the solar panels used to heat the plant. In fact, company owner Don Bently has his hand in several environmentally friendly projects. He owns National Tribology Services, an oil testing company that tests biodiesel as well. For more information, visit www.biodieseltesting.com. In the future, Luri predicted the company could expand into other bioenergy projects as well.
Bently Biofuels will host an open house Jan. 7, 2006. For more information, visit www.bentlybiofuels.com.