June 27, 2012
BY Ron Kotrba
The July/August issue of Biodiesel Magazine is nearly complete, and I would like to share some of its contents with you.
The theme is focused around biodiesel distribution and infrastructure. We provide an in-depth feature profile of a vertically integrated supply chain model that you may have heard about in the news recently, one that hasn’t come together through mergers and acquisitions or takeovers or buyouts, but through small, local businesses—Oregon Oils, Beaver Biodiesel and Whole Energy Fuels Corp.—working together to grow their biodiesel base. “The importance of this project is that we genuinely reduce the cost of production and distribution of biodiesel,” says Daniel Shafer, principal manager of Beaver Biodiesel. “We are vertically integrated in a way that allows us to bring a product to market that customers want at a price that works.”
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We also detail biofuel infrastructure tax incentives recently reinstated in Florida, and while the intention of the measures seems clear enough—to grow the availability of alternative transportation fuels like biodiesel—state representative Scott Plakon says it’s really about economic growth and development. That point of view is very encouraging to hear. Shelby Neal, National Biodiesel Board director of state governmental affairs, also talks with Biodiesel Magazine on the broader nature of state incentives. “In the case of biodiesel, I think the results speak for themselves,” Neal says. “Where meaningful production incentives exist, biodiesel production exists. Where meaningful consumption incentives exist, biodiesel consumption exists. It’s pretty simple, really.” The law also impacts algae, establishing new regulations. Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Algal Biomass Organization, weighs in on the issue. “We hope it doesn’t place an unnecessary burden on the development of any current or future technologies for sustainable and renewable products from algae,” she says, noting that it’s too early to tell how these regulations will impact the industry.
Al Rivero with Telvent DTN authored this month’s Talking Point column. He writes on how automated terminal solutions help turn common challenges into opportunities.
For the technical reader, we bring you a contribution article courtesy of Superior Process Technologies Senior Process Design Engineer Kirk Cobb, who was inspired to write what I would call a peer reviewed comparison of energy consumption between acid esterification and glycerolysis. I say peer reviewed because biodiesel expert Dr. Jon Van Gerpen, University of Idaho, signed off on it—and anything biodiesel-related that Dr. Van Gerpen signs off on is surely sound. Cobb’s inspiration was an earlier article published by Biodiesel Magazine (“A Critical Component,” January/February 2012) in which a chart was included with information that labeled glycerolysis as energy-intense compared to acid esterification. Cobb disagrees, and gives a point-by-point analysis why.
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In the front-of-the-book section I detail a new color test developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, a quick field test to detect presence of cosolvent used in some biodiesel process techniques. I also distilled the past two months’ worth of developments in the biodiesel RIN market in a news story, and I further discuss the topic in my Editor’s Note.
These are just the highlights of the July/August issue of Biodiesel Magazine. You’ll have to wait for its publication to plug into the rest.