Closing The Biodiesel Loop Through Recycling and Renewable Energy

17BackHome Magazine Sept/Oct 2007 Proponents of biofuels have always      maintained that sourcing energy      from domestic renewables such as plant biomass and bio-based wastes reduces our dependence on imported petroleum, diversifies our energy base, and... More

17BackHome Magazine Sept/Oct 2007 Proponents of biofuels have always      maintained that sourcing energy      from domestic renewables such as plant biomass and bio-based wastes reduces our dependence on imported petroleum, diversifies our energy base, and offers cleaner end-use emissions. One particular biofuel—liquid biodiesel derived from soybeans, waste cooking oil, or animal fats—has received prominent national attention and enough investment that the number of commercial production facilities has grown from 65 in mid-2006 to 145 in June of this year. But critics aren’t so convinced. Their concern is that biodiesel fuel is not sustainable on a large scale. First, they question whether the energy invested in growing, harvesting, and processing soybean feedstocks will surpass or even approach the energy available from the finished product. Further, they hold that the by-products of manufacture— glycerin and wash water from the fuelcleaning process—have limited value and are ess Less