Here in the Upper Left-Hand Corner some folks call it bioenergy
and focus more on canola oil & other “brassica” feedstocks.
WA state has laws, incentives, and R & D projects to develop
the state’s biofuel industry and biofuel use. Check out:
WA state government bioenergy
website http://www.bioenergy.wa.gov/About.aspx
WA Dept. of Ag bioenergy
website at http://www.agr.wa.gov/bioenergy/
For very practical info/links see http://www.bioenergy.wa.gov/Permitting.aspx
Incl. WA Office if Regulatory
Assistance fact sheets on biofuel facility permit steps
Seattle Fire Dept. Powerpoint
on building and fire codes applicable to small & large biodiesel producers
And US Dept. of Energy guidebooks
on blending, distributing & using biofuels & ethanol.
WA Dept. of Ecology contact for more info is Rob Reuter: 425-649-7086
rreu461@ecy.wa.gov
Oregon Environmental Council has an Oct.2007 report on “”sustainable
biofuels.” Chapters on environmental concerns, and
refinery designs/impacts, look esp. useful. http://www.oeconline.org/economy/sustainablebiofuels/index_html
Oregon state Biomass Energy website: http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/Biomass/BiomassHome.shtml
Pacific Regional Biomass Energy Partnership has a site on
biomass stock/technologies at http://www.pacificbiomass.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1
Alaska Biodiesel Network site http://www.alaskabiodiesel.org/ has
a “getting started” tutorial link from a collaborative “how-to”
group. Includes info on safety, storage, etc. http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/gettingstarted/
Be sure to address by-product use/applications. E.g., hazards
of using waste glycerin as a dust suppressant, overloading capacity for land
& water systems to absorb it.
Regards - Cathy Buller
Pacific NW Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC)
Seattle, WA
206-352-2050
cbuller@pprc.org
www.pprc.org
From:
owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net [mailto:owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net] On Behalf
Of Rick Yoder
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 10:08 AM
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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