Biodiesel comes in several forms. While it can be created from common waste oils used in cooking, it can also be grown by farmers, reducing our dependence on foreign nations while supporting domestic agriculture.

NEWPORT - If local leaders are serious about looking for renewable sources of energy, biodiesel offers a healthy alternative and a chance to put their money where their mouths are – in more ways than one. When it comes to healthier living, most people know that soy – while an acquired taste – can be a healthy substitute for many of our indulgences. But french fries too? That's a little harder to swallow. It is, unless you're talking about America's penchant for petroleum consumption, and biodiesel, the fuel substitute made from soybean oil, vegetable oils, and restaurant waste grease.

The idea of using renewable resources for petroleum isn't a new one. In fact, biofuels have been around since the mid 1800s. When Rudolph Diesel himself unveiled his compression ignition engine for the first time at the World's Exhibition in 1898, it ran on peanut oil. Henry Ford's 1908 Model T ran on ethanol, and Ford even built an ethanol plant in the Midwest.

But petroleum companies wanted control of fuel supplies in the U.S., and set out to eliminate the competition with their low cost, low-grade fuel. With powerful players like William Randolph Hurst, Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon (a major financial backer for the DuPont Company), and the Rockefeller family all holding stakes in the success of petroleum, it was just a matter of time. They undercut biofuel sales, and by 1940, Ford's plant, and others like it, closed.

It wasn't until the 1970s, when the U.S. supply of crude oil became limited and our dependence on foreign fuel began to grow, that the view of petroleum as a limited resource truly began to take hold. At the time of this article, the average price of unleaded gasoline stands at $2.61 per gallon, and diesel fuel at $2.73, and with American consumption continuing to rise and China's growing appetite, many experts agree that the world has reached its maximum production levels and we have nowhere to go but down. While no one is entirely sure how long Saudi resources will be able to meet world demand – possibly not even the Saudis themselves – one thing is known: Whether they have enough resources or not, the Saudis are calling the shots. All is not lost, however; there are some things that Americans can do to reduce that dependence and help the environment at the same time, and one of those things can be done right here in Newport, right now.

Biodiesel 101

Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources. It is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, as opposed to petroleum, and contains none of the toxic sulfur of petroleum based diesel fuel – the source of the choking black smoke that is visible when buses, large trucks or boats start up and accelerate. Sulfur burning also contributes to air pollution and upper respiratory illness, an unfortunate category in which Rhode Islanders lead the nation.

Renewable soy beans are a common source of biodiesel, and maybe more surprisingly, so is the waste grease from restaurants and home cooking. Today, waste grease from restaurants in Rhode Island is hauled away to Massachusetts by companies like Baker Commodities in Warwick, who ship roughly 250,000 pounds of it each week out of state. But because there is a cost to restaurants for disposal, much grease waste never makes it to companies like Baker, and instead ends up in dumpsters, and eventually in our state landfill. Worse yet, waste oil used in homes is often poured down the drain, and that ends up in our sewage treatment plants, where it must be skimmed from the surface before the wastewater can be properly treated. All of this waste can be used for fuel to run our cars, trucks, buses, and here in Newport – boats, and can even heat our homes and schools.

While pure, 100 percent biodiesel can be used in place of standard diesel fuel, tests have shown that biodiesel in this pure form can require costly modifications to engines, result in the breakdown of rubber gaskets and hose seals, and can thicken in extremely cold weather. The use of B20 biodiesel, however – a blend of 80 percent standard diesel and 20 percent biodiesel (thus the "20") – requires no engine modifications, includes natural lubricants, does not result in gasket or seal breakdown, and is not affected by cold temperatures. And since biodiesel contains no sulfur, the emissions of related toxins are reduced by the same percentage of biodiesel being used. In the case of B20, a 20 percent blend, the emissions reduction is 20 percent.

But does it work?

Thorough research performed by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stanadyne Automotive Corp, Lovelace Respiratory Institute in New Mexico, and Southwest Institute confirm that biodiesel performs in a manner similar to petroleum diesel while benefiting the environment and human health. But what about some field testing a little closer to home?

Enter Robert Cerio, energy resource manager at Hudson Companies in Providence. Cerio was energy education manager for the Warwick school department for the past six years. He received the 2005 Earth Day Environmentalist of the Year Award, and the 2003 John H. Chafee Memorial Conservation Award. He is an expert in the use of biodiesel as an automobile and heating fuel substitute, and in fact was the first person in the United States to use biodiesel as a heating fuel. He is also one of several New England spokespersons for biodiesel.

Cerio's experience in Warwick began quietly with people-oriented programs, such as educating people to turn off lights when leaving a room, purchasing natural gas and buying #2 heating fuels (a product refined from crude oil) a year in advance to lock in prices. And then he met Pat Condon, the special projects coordinator for the R.I. State Energy Office, and Pat told him about the biomass grants available for alternative energy sources.

While a B20 blend of biodiesel currently costs an average of .03 cents more per gallon than standard diesel, the grants offered to Cerio covered similar cost differences so he could test biodiesel in Warwick's heating systems. Cerio used a "control" fuel, which was 100 percent standard diesel; He also used a B10, which was ten percent biodiesel and 90 percent standard diesel, a B15, which is 15 percent biodiesel, and a B20.

The result? "It was a perfect replacement," said Cerio. He found that he didn't use any additional fuel, and there was less maintenance required. A standard boiler system requires annual cleaning, but these boiler tubes experienced little to no soot buildup, and burner nozzles had no appreciable carbon build-up, indicating a more efficient burn. Instead of an annual cleaning, Cerio said that one boiler, at Green Elementary School, didn't need to be cleaned for four years.

Hitting the road

Spurred on by his success with biodiesel as a heating fuel, Cerio turned his testing to school buses. He began with a B5 blend, but even using the higher B20 Cerio saw no additional wear-and-tear or engine breakdown, and in fact saw a one-mile per gallon increase in the overall gas mileage for the buses, an improvement he attributed to the fact that biodiesel "has ten times the lubricity" of standard diesel fuel.

By itself, an increase of one mile per gallon may not seem very significant, but when you consider that his buses were getting only eight mpg when he started, that's more than a 12% increase, and with a total annual consumption of 180,000 gallons, the savings begin to add up. Today, 70 of Warwick's school buses run on B20.

More importantly, said Cerio, the emissions being breathed in by students on and around those buses are cleaner. EPA findings show the use of B20 biodiesel reduces emissions of carbon monoxide by ten percent, particulate emissions by 15 percent, hydrocarbons by ten percent, and sulfate emissions by 20 percent. The National Biodiesel Board asserts that biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to successfully complete the Tier I and Tier II health effects testing required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act. And, said Cerio, "It's as biodegradable as table salt."

The news can't be all good, and Cerio agreed, noting that Rhode Island DEM raised a concern over a 1 percent increase in Nitrogen Oxide, or NOx emissions. Although, Cerio added, "not all tests have seen increases." NOx emissions contribute to localized formation of smog and ozone. However, according to the National Biodiesel Board, the industry is having success with additives that bring those NOx emissions down, and notes that biodiesel is compatible with 2007 clean diesel technology, which "will drastically reduce NOx emissions."

"By using new clean diesel technology," the National Biodiesel Board says, "NOx increases are not a concern."

Local interest?

Bringing biodiesel to Newport depends on several factors. The first being the interest of local decision makers. During the recent debate over LNG, there was at least one point on which everyone agreed – the nation, the state, and the city of Newport must pursue alternative, renewable sources of energy in order to preserve our limited supply, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and improve the quality of our environment. If Council members were sincere, and we have no reason to believe otherwise, then biodiesel is a logical road to travel. It has been tested and has a proven track record nationally as well as locally.

Bruce Alexander, business manager for the Newport school system, expressed a great deal of interest in biodiesel, an interest that extends beyond the Newport school system. School business managers across the East Bay divide certain responsibilities, said Alexander, and one of his is to place bids for fuel oil for school districts as far as Barrington. Alexander requested bids from across the region and had prices locked in by June with Burke Oil in Chelsea, Mass. While intrigued by the benefits of biodiesel, the question on Alexander's mind was, "Is it really accessible for all of my bidders?" A call to Patrick Burke at Burke Oil confirmed that it is not only accessible, but Burke Oil was the first in Massachusetts to carry biodiesel at its pumps. "We've sold it for several years," said Burke. "We even have a page on our website about biodiesel."

Ed Lavallee, interim city manager, shared Alexander's enthusiasm, saying, "For a community that lives in such a fragile environment, anything like this presents major benefits and opportunities," adding that he had just stopped in to see Bob Andrews from the Newport Dinner Train to discuss the very subject of emissions and air quality.

When we contacted Andrews, he was notably excited about the subject, saying that he has been pursuing the possibilities of biodiesel on his own.

"We're on the right track," said Andrews. "We want to get there but we need a resource." Andrews said they would need roughly 600-700 gallons per week.

Enter Wendy Hawkins, of REC Fleet Fueling Services in Providence, a subsidiary of White Fuel, who says that shouldn't be a problem. REC currently sells it at the pump for those who want to come in for an individual fill-up of their diesel cars and trucks, but said that if the demand is there, deliveries are certainly an option. Her current demand is 3,000 gallons, and customers include Narragansett Electric, who uses it in seven of its "trouble trucks." Hawkins said she can easily handle more and looks forward to speaking to Andrews. She also hopes that schools and local government will make greater use of biodiesel in their vehicles in order to help sustain product availability, grow awareness, demand and, ultimately, supply.

Ron Ackman of Oldport Marine is another believer – and he knows the benefits of biodiesel firsthand. "We used pure biodiesel for two years with a grant from the government," said Ackman. Oldport went through 5,000 gallons of 100 percent biodiesel for its boats between 1996-97 and didn't make any modifications to their engines. At that level of purity, gaskets can loosen and break down, said Ackman, and cold was an issue, but "we were very happy with the product." So happy, in fact, that Ackman said he has been working on a project to get the used oil from local restaurants to make his own B50 mixture. And if that's not enough, Ackman said Oldport Marine has been using biodiesel to heat its shop for the past 20 years.

Taking costs for granted?

At REC Fuel, standard auto diesel costs $2.69 per gallon at the time of this article. B20 biodiesel costs $2.72, or .03 more per gallon. The additional cost, said Robert Cerio, is due to shipping, since there is no processing plant in Rhode Island – yet.

"Biodiesel will cost much less to produce in-state," said Cerio. Shipping costs, taxes and profit margin result in the $2.72 cost for B20, and as much as $3.15 for pure biodiesel, or B100.

While an argument for an increase of 0.3 per gallon of fuel can certainly be made in the interest of greater petroleum independence, less exposure to toxins for our children, and a healthier environment – not to mention a flashpoint for ignition of biodiesel much higher than that of LNG – money is always an issue. So the question must be asked, can Newport receive grant money to make up the difference in any additional cost, like Cerio did for Warwick? For that answer we turned to Pat Condon, Special Projects Manager at the Rhode Island State Energy Office.

"We would be very enthusiastic about supporting a project like that, and would certainly go to bat to obtain the funding. That's what we do," said Condon.

That doesn't mean that Newport will automatically receive funding, Condon cautioned, but with the proper interest and commitment from city representatives, Julie Capobianco, the Energy Office's program manager for renewables, will be happy to lead the way in putting together a grant for the funding.

No need to chew the fat

With the overwhelming benefits of biodiesel and the ability to implement its use with relative ease, the only thing remaining is for City Council members to take action and pursue it. And with the Council's shared belief that renewable energy and a healthier environment is of utmost importance, we hope they will join Warwick in setting an example for the state, region, and the rest of the country.

However, to ensure a smooth start, Cerio said he will be taking part in a bio-based products seminar focusing on healthy alternatives for Rhode Island schools. The seminar is at CCRI in Warwick on September 7th. Registration is at 8 a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m. Breakfast is included, and he invites council members to attend. To register in advance, call Brad Hyson at 401/397-3430 or email info@apeiron.org.

On September 15th, Cerio will be giving a Biodiesel 101 presentation at a Rhode Island Oil Heat Institute event being held at the Italian American Club at 477 Broadway in Providence. The event runs 10-2 and includes lunch. Space is limited, and registration information is the same for both events. Julie Capobianco from the RI State Energy Office will be speaking at both events. Rick Hanley, director of the N.E. Biomass Council, and Brad Hyson from Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living will also be speaking, as well as many other experts in the field. If council members are serious about biodiesel, Cerio said he is willing to come to Newport to give a presentation on its benefits, and answer any questions our representatives may have. Interested Council members can reach Robert Cerio by contacting Newport This Week at 847-7766 or by emailing editorial@newportthisweek.net.

Did you know?

The U.S. Navy is the single largest user of biodiesel.

Ford, Volkswagen and Mercedes are coming out with a new line of diesel automobiles.

Narragansett Electric currently uses biodiesel in seven of its "trouble trucks."

President Bush is a supporter of biodiesel, as is Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri.

The Federal Energy Act of 1992 requires 75% of state vehicle fleets to use an alternate fuel source.

Is Biodiesel the same thing as raw vegetable oil?

No. Biodiesel is produced from any fat or oil such as soybean oil, through a refinery process called transesterification.

Is biodiesel used as a pure fuel or is it blended with petroleum diesel?

Biodiesel can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum in any percentage.

Is it approved for use in the US?

Yes. Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the EPA and meets clean diesel standards.

Can I use biodiesel in my existing diesel engine?

Biodiesel can be operated in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system.

Where can I purchase biodiesel?

In Rhode Island it can be purchased at REC Fleet Fueling Services at 9 Hylestead St. in Providence. A complete and updated list can be found at www.biodiesel.org or by calling the NBB at (800) 841-5849.

Who can answer my questions about biodiesel?

The NBB maintains the largest library of biodiesel information in the US. Information can be requested by visiting the biodiesel web site at www.biodiesel.org, by emailing the NBB at info@nbb.org, or by calling NBB's toll free number (800) 841-5849.

*From www.biodiesel.org

How much biodiesel has been sold in the US?

2003 -- an estimated 25 million gallons

2002 -- 15 million gallons

2001 -- 5 million gallons

2000 -- 2 million gallons

1999 -- 500,000 gallons

*From www.biodiesel.org

To learn more:

National Biodiesel Board: www.biodiesel.org

RI State Energy Office: www.riseo.ri.gov

The Veggie Van: www.biodieselamerica.org

By Peter Dodd

pdodd@newportthisweek.net