Once fluctuating gas prices become a regular fixture in a hard-hit economy, people look for ways to save money, and sometimes they run into alternative fuels.
“When the gas prices are up, the phone rings off the hook,” said Steve Bash, buying coordinator at Sacramento Biofuels Network. “A few years ago, when gas prices went up, my phone was ringing so solidly that whenever I hung up, I had to pick up another call. If you want to save money from buying biodiesel, I say you can’t.”
In March, the average price for B100, or 100 percent biodiesel, reached $4.25 a gallon and tied with gas prices in Sacramento. In April, the average price of B100 rose ten cents as local gas prices this week averaged $4.27 a gallon. With the convergence of gas and biodiesel prices, Sacramentans now have the choice to use clean-burning, sustainable fuels since the area has become a hotspot for biofuel availability.
Sacramento has two major biofuel sources, one private and the other public. SBN, a private co-op, serves various members interested in buying B100. Introduced to the region three years ago, Propel Fuels has eight stations offering different grades of biodiesel and ethanol fuels.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel usually made from by-products like used vegetable oils, used cooking grease and animal fats. Any diesel engine can take biodiesel as a substitute for gasoline. Some examples of light-duty diesel vehicles include two or four-door cars, high-performance sports cars, passenger vans, pickup trucks and SUVs.
Ethanol is made from fermented grains and sugars like corn. Many standard cars can take ethanol when mixed with mostly gasoline like E5 (five percent ethanol, 95 percent gasoline) and E10 (ten percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline).
Vegetable oil is not biofuel. More than a decade ago, engine modification became popular among those who preferred cleaner energy options. Engines were modified to take straight vegetable oil, or SVO. The process dissipated when companies began to chemically turn SVO into biofuel before pouring it into a tank.
“We did it ten years ago, but we found it was better all around if you’re going to run a car on an alternative fuel, it’s much easier and less of a hassle to run on biodiesel than vegetable oil,” said David Vennel, owner and chief mechanic at Black Rock Automotive in Sacramento.
Used cooking oil transforms into biodiesel through a chemical process called transesterification where the oil separates as it reacts with an alcohol and a catalyst, leaving behind methyl esters, or biodiesel, and glycerin, a by-product used in soaps, shampoos and other products.
Downtown eateries like Red Rabbit Kitchen Bar, Doughbot and Crocker Café by Supper Club are some of the 50 to 60 participating restaurants with the SBN-affiliated, grassroots-funded Sacramento Cooking Oil Recycling Campaign, or Sac CORC.
“It certainly went hand in hand with their beliefs about food, and it just seemed like the natural logical choice to go with the biofuel,” said Eric Brandon, chef at Crocker Café, about the old management becoming a part of Sac CORC and the new management sticking with the eco-friendly campaign.
With French fries leaving behind up to 15 to 20 gallons of cooking oil a month at the café alone, restaurants collect thousands of gallons of waste oil every year. Sac CORC intercepts the disposal cycle by taking the oil that could clog sewer systems, be placed into animal feed, or head to the biodiesel market abroad.
The oil is rounded up from the restaurants each month, or whenever the restaurant has filled its receptacle with the maximum amount. Regional facilities like Simple Fuels Biodiesel in the Sierra Foothills and Bently Biofuels Outpost in Western Nevada produce biodiesel for SBN with the recycled oil. After production, trucks deliver tanks of B100 to SBN supply sites.
“I started educating people on biodiesel,” Bash said about the beginnings of the seven-year-old SBN. “I was just someone who was interested in alternative energy and just started doing speeches and talks about it, and people said, ‘Where can I buy it?’ and the people who asked me that question became the buyers club.”
Drivers can choose biofuel at the Propel pumps connected to stations like Shell and 76. Propel Fuels, a Redwood City, Calif.-based company, delivers mixed blends of biodiesel and ethanol fuel, appropriate for flexible fuel vehicles.
Choices include E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), B20 (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent gasoline) and B5 (five percent biodiesel, 95 percent gasoline). B20, according to the Department of Energy, is the most popular biodiesel for light-duty diesel vehicles.
Propel came to Sacramento in 2009. There are two locations in Sacramento and Citrus Heights with one location in Elk Grove, Placerville, Rocklin and Roseville. Sales rose over 60 percent in the past year, according to spokesman Chris LaPlante, thanks to more energy-efficient vehicles on the road and an increased interest in biofuel.
“Consumer choice is the key,” he wrote in an email message. “Those who drive flex fuel or diesel vehicles now have the choice between renewable and conventional fuels. Their mobility is not tied to oil.”
LaPlante added Sacramento is one of the major cities in California with the greatest access to biofuels. Propel plans to expand to underserved neighborhoods and cities in California in coming years.
The Environmental Working Group recently reported ethanol-based fuels higher than E10 can contribute to engine damage since they can overheat in the engine. Ethanol production mainly uses corn, leading to direct competition in the food supply and environmental degradation with the expansion of farmland.
With ethanol’s effect on the food supply, the Obama administration announced earlier this year its plans to invest up to $35 million over the next three years to support research and development of advanced biofuels. Algae and wood chips are currently being targeted as the next sources of biofuel.
Many vehicles on the road, regardless of year, make or model, can use biofuel, but it is still advised to check with the manufacturer about which biofuel and blend is appropriate for a vehicle.
Article source: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/67997/Biofuel_access_at_its_highest_in_Sacramento
