July 1, 2009

Green Technology

Availability limiting biofuel adoption

SAUL CHERNOS

correspondent

With a cast that includes green slime and assorted fats and oils, biofuels seem like perfect low-budget, B-level sci-fi movie material.

However, with petroleum-based fuel products increasing in cost and scarcity, as well as adding to already-critical greenhouse gas levels, fiction is morphing into fact as relatively eco-friendly alternatives begin to power fleet vehicles and heavy construction machinery.

These are relatively early days for biofuels.

“It’s been slower to catch on in Canada than in other parts of the world,” said Tanya McDonald, a research scientist specializing in bioenergy and environmental microbiology at the Olds College School of Innovation north of Calgary.

Government incentives such as the Alberta Bioenergy Producer Credit Program and the Ontario Ethanol Growth Fund offer financial assistance, and standards are already in place at the federal level and in several provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia.

Still, production and availability continue to lag.

Alberta has just one commercial biodiesel plant, though another is slated to come online this summer.

And, while users can buy blended biodiesel in bulk for fleets, McDonald said the province has just one retail outlet — in Turner Valley south of Calgary.

As well, McDonald said, most engines aren’t designed to run on pure biofuel and biofuels tend to crystallize in extreme cold.

So, while pure biofuel would be ideal environmentally, blends are what we’ll use for the foreseeable future.

McDonald said that engine manufacturers are starting to show support.

“Caterpillar and Cummins are looking to increase their allowable percentages of biodiesel in their engines, and some are approved for 20 percent or even as much as 30 percent,” she said.

Engines do not generally require modifications to handle biofuel.

However, biodiesel can break down natural rubber and some other materials, so components within an engine’s fuel delivery system need to be synthetic.

This is generally now the case with newer systems.

Biodiesel also contains properties that act like cleaning agents, removing deposits left from petroleum-based diesel.

“You may need to change your fuel filter a little more often in the beginning, but using biodiesel should extend the life of your engine,” McDonald said.

Bill Ferreira, government relations and public affairs director with the Canadian Construction Association, said commercial availability will dictate adoption.

“We don’t drive technology, we’re users of technology and this applies to fuels,” he said. “It’s a question of how quickly it comes to market.”

Bill Waugh, Lethbridge, Alta. branch manager for Cummins Western Canada said biodiesel has clear advantages over petro-diesel in terms of engine lubrication.

He added, however, that users should do their homework before making the switch.

Engines manufactured after 2002 tend to withstand corrosion and other damage that has affected earlier engines, whereas older engines should not be run on concentrations greater than two to five percent biodiesel.

“Biodiesel is very easy to make, but biodiesel that’s of high quality and high consistency is not easy to make,” he said.

“The guy with the bathtub in his barn making biodiesel is not recommended for somebody who wants longevity out of their engine.”

Waugh recommended buying from suppliers who follow ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards and are BQ-9000-certified.

With production rolling out slowly, research continues. One challenge is finding materials that can be grown and processed using minimal energy and agricultural land.

One potential source that has attracted significant scientific attention is algae, which some researchers consider the holy grail of biofuels.

The problem is getting the oil out of the algae and doing it cheaply.

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