Rick,
In Virginia we put together a regulatory primer for biodiesel producers.
It is not strong on P2 but focuses on regulatory compliance stuff plus a short
section on health and safety and other (taxes, business assistance) aspects.
While Virginia-centric, it points to some federal requirements and somewhat
generic concerns across media. Some of the references in it may also be useful
for your purposes.
Virginia Biodiesel Environmental Compliance Primer http://www.deq.virginia.gov/osba/pdf/VDEQBiodieselPrimer2008.pdf
Small-Scale Biodiesel Production: Safety, Fuel Quality, and Waste
Disposal Considerations
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/bse/442-885/442-885.html
This is a Virginia Tech
Extension publication put together largely by folks from VA Tech and James
Madison University oriented toward small-scale producers. I can put you in touch
with a couple of the authors if that is of interest.
Virginia Clean Cities had
a series of workshops on biodiesel fuel quality, including best
practices. Presentations and references (technical and business aspects)
are available via http://www.hrccc.org/biodiesel/fuelqualityseminars.html
[Al and
Chelsea--anything to add on the request below regarding biodiesel production best
practices? Rick Yoder from the Pollution Prevention Regional Info Center in
Nebraska posted the query below to the P2TECH listserve.]
Virginia Tech put
together some materials and references for what appears to be an online course
at http://www.filebox.vt.edu/users/lschwei/basicbio.htm
--The NREL and van Gerpen references may be useful.
You may wish to contact John
Dunn Dunn.John@epamail.epa.gov 913-551-7594 , NPDES
person with EPA Region 7, who has worked on biodiesel production stuff in your
region and has developed some materials on byproduct management. He also has
contacts with the National Biodiesel Board.
There are various stories
of fires and fish kills from improper disposal. I think biodiesel has an
important role but I’m worried about a lot of mom-and-pop amateurs
without proper EHS training handling barrels of methanol or even trying to do a
good thing by redistilling methanol—some potential for someone poisoning
or blowing up themselves and their neighbors.
Cheers,
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net
[mailto:owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net] On Behalf Of Rick Yoder
Sent: Friday, June
06, 2008 1:08 PM
To: P2Tech@great-lakes.net;
ENV-HEALTH-GENERAL@LISTSERV.CDC.GOV; p2r7@p2ric.org; P2 Listserv;
envneb@p2ric.org; roundtable@great-lakes.net
Cc: James W Grafton
Subject: biofuels production best
practices information request (served with a very small side of rant) - swag
available for good work
Hi, all - apologies for cross posting - please forward
to any who might have pertinent info and a willingness to share. Are you
someone who "will work for swag?" Swag rewards described below.
We've
been working off and on to gather the best current information for best
practices in the corn ethanol side of biofuels production. But we just
received a request for the best practices in biodiesel production. We
could use your help in identifying the your favorite information sources on the
subject of biodiesel production. One of the things we've learned is that
this is a batch process that can be done with a minimal level of
expertise, and is suitable for the do-it-yourselfer. Quality of fuel is
definitely variable. A competent DIY effort can grow by adding tanks, and
soon a small business is born. Stories now accumulating on backyard
biofuel production fires (most recent: http://www.newswatch50.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c7b78220-e924-4836-a24b-293c740de6db
) and increasing cooking grease barrel thievery. Just the kind of
growth that could use a list of best practices. Appreciate any help you
can offer on this.
We
are further along with information for corn ethanol production. If you
are willing, we'd love your editing to improve the information we already have
for corn ethanol production. I have attached a draft document of
resources we have vetted, and linked to our copy in a wiki format so that you
can edit it on the fly for others to see. [RANT: I am of the opinion that the
greatest opportunity for greening ethanol now lies with producers greeing their
supply chain - applying pressure for grain producers to incorporate the best
practices that extension has been touting for years. I'm not going to get
into ag production systems impact too much, but simply note that many of my
neighbors (and, sadly, even relatives) have been knocking down miles long rows
of trees and brush you know as windbreaks (a.k.a. shelter-belts) to create more
room to grow grain. Ahem. Nebraskans used to proudly call
themselves the Treeplanter State. I
guess it's part of the ethic of making hay while the sun shines.]
We
are finding out some fun things related to ethanol production - such as the
fact that the FDA has expressed concern about the antibiotics used to adjust
the mix of the fermentation tanks in a process where a byproduct (distillers
grains) becomes feed for cattle and therefore part of our food chain. Also,
spilled ethanol left in the ground for a while becomes a safety hazard due to a
potential to explode. Always an adventure working in this field.
If
you can help with ethanol, the wiki entry is here: http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/p2rx-wiki/index.php/Ethanol_refinery_best_practices
If
you would rather comment on a more traditional document format, you can request
the draft best practices for ethanol production from P2RIC student staff
member jgrafton@unomaha.edu
He will also be the best point of contact for suggested resources you want to
make directly to us. And, he is the keeper of the swag.
Swag
offer: If you offer us a best practice reference or resource for ethanol
production we do not already have and which we add to the draft best practices,
we will send you a very cool P2RIC mug. We don't have much information
collected for the biodiesel production, so the best ten P2 resources collected
and used in a new draft and wiki for biodiesel will also be offered a mug.
These mugs do more than just hold your beverage of choice, they also remind you
to "Fight Waste". To look at your reward for making a
meaningful contribution to the ethanol Best Practices List follow this link http://www.p2ric.org/measurement/merchandise.cfm
thanks
in advance for your help.
Regards,
Rick
PS:
I know, all of this is on the heels of this week's UN Food Conference. We're
looking at improving these processes, not on arguing the merits of the use of
ag-land for fuel production. I acknowledge the issue in advance. It
used to be said that modern agriculture is the practice of turning petroleum
into food. now it's morphed into the practice of turning food into
petroleum.
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Richard Yoder, PE
Director, P2ric.org
University of Nebraska at Omaha
6001 Dodge Street, RH308
Omaha, NE 68182
fax: 402-554-6260
http://www.p2ric.org/
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P2RIC,
the Pollution Prevention
Regional Information Center, is
a proud member of the Pollution Prevention
Resource Exchange, P2Rx.org.
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