Case Study

government biodiesel

By Steve Fugate

More in the Fall 2009 issue

After a spate of severe flooding, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Trails Crew was called on to clean 40 tons of debris out of Maquokota caves. This is an environmentally sensitive area with no air flow.
The diesels being used were making the crew ill.
Crew leaders wondered if they could run B100 in the new Kubota and Bobcat equipment, in spite of the manufacturers' B5 limitations.
After conducting an assessment of their fleet and fueling practices I recommended going ahead and running B100.
No operational issues resulted. The crew were converted to believers in the benefits of biodiesel.
In that the crew had a new geo-thermally heated building with a little extra space, this planted the seed of opportunity for more biodiesel. The benefits of greatly improving air quality while repurposing post-consumer under-utilized resources were obvious to these stalwart environmental stewards.
Michael Pecenka is the senior trails technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Trails Crew working out of Big Creek State Park near Des Moines. The Trails Crew utilizes AmeriCorps personnel to build and repair trails, buildings and infrastructure throughout the Iowa parks system. Americorps is the modern equivalent of the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the depression and boasts over 70,000 volunteers. Mostly young people, they spend the summer working with non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, Keepers of the Land and the DNR, earning a very modest education stipend.
The Trails Crew also conducts prairie burns and invasive species mitigation, as well as many projects that might be outsourced to contractors.
I first met Pecenka during a biodiesel/ environmental benefit talk at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar in 2006.
Pecenka expressed an interest in the concept of harvesting locally available waste resources for in-house production of biodiesel.
He ran the idea past his diehard visionary director Mark Edwards, who immediately saw the wisdom in such a project.
Mark set his talented grant writing sorceress Whitney Davis to work on obtaining funding and, with a little help, generated the proper language to fit the grant solicitation.
In 2008, a Blue Skyways CENSARA grant was awarded to procure biodiesel production equipment and hire a 3/4-time biodiesel maker. The grant is to produce 6,000 gallons of biodiesel and quantify the emissions reductions using the EPA Diesel Emissions Quantifier (DEQ) to establish dollar-per-ton-of-pollutant figures.
Whitney asked if I knew anyone that might be interested in the job. The opportunity to advance the cause of small scale nonprofit biodiesel production outweighed the  detractors (low pay and 120 miles from home) for me, so I applied for the position. I knew that I would hit the ground running and be able to fully realize the possibilities.
I now commute to the park once per week in my 1998 B100-powered Jetta. I work three days and two nights "on," and have four days "off."
Our first oil collection site was the state capitol complex.
This fryer oil had already been paid for by the citizens of Iowa and was used to feed legislators and state employees, so it makes sense that it be converted by a state environmental organization to power state vehicles!
Most of our subsequent grease accounts have been by referral. When I present the attributes of our project, restaurants are happy to work with us in maintaining the integrity of their used fryer oil and assisting our efforts.
We deliver two very clean white barrels with the Iowa DNR sticker and a bright yellow tight fitting lid at most locations.
Particular attention has been given to only collecting the best oil available and keeping all debris and water out of our barrels.
Some of our large accounts get back 10% of the oil they contribute in the form of biodiesel for use in huge generators and tractors.
Oil is collected in a repurposed forestry service cube van, by means of a trash pump and an IBC tote, then taken to the park for processing.
So far our recycled fryer oil (RFO) has been consistently titrating at 3 to 4. A longstanding relationship with Yoderville Biodiesel Collective started us off with the donation of eight totes of high quality RFO, allowing us to get production quickly up and running without having to struggle for every gallon of oil.
Together with a donation of 10 barrels of virgin organic sunflower oil (!) we were making some really excellent fuel from the get-go.
Processing is done with an "Ester Machine" from Green World Biofuels and two auxiliary wash totes to increase throughput.
Larger batch sizes might seem appropriate but the cost, scale and scope of this project make a compact portable system fit better.
We use 20% by volume methanol per liter of raw oil and 9.0 grams per liter Potassium Hydroxide, plus the titration amount. We do a single stage reaction for one hour at 140F. This "Appleseed" style processor is then shut off, allowing glycerin to settle before being pumped off into a storage tote.
With the Ester Machine's heated intake barrel, the oil is at processing temp by the time we pump out the first batch, so I tend to run eight consecutive 40 gallon batches into two 275 gallon wash totes.
We run 27/3 tests frequently to test for sufficiently low glycerides in the finished fuel. Due to the highly consistent and dry oil we collect, processing, washing and drying are pretty straight forward.
Initially, hard tap water was used for washing. Since upgrading to a rain water wash system, washes go very smoothly and require less water, while also improving our energy balance.
After the wash, resulting dirty water is run through a military style grease trap, then a commercial style unit, to remove any FOG (fats, oils or greases). The water is then applied to an adjacent field.
Our glycerin byproduct is currently being municipally composted while researchers test it for use as fuel at a university boiler plant and an asphalt plant.
The wet biodiesel is pumped back into the Ester Machine for drying, 100 gallons at a time and usually takes about four hours with a little heat added to speed drying time.
Finished biodiesel is pumped into our 350 gallon armored dispensing tote, or into a transfer tank going to another park.
To date this year we have produced about 5,000 gallons of very high quality biodiesel.
Dispensing is usually accomplished with a DC 15 GPM Fill-Rite pump, Fill-Rite B100 compatible meter and Bio-Tek Hydroglass 2 micron filter.
We have hooked up a PV panel to charge the pump battery. However, I am having a difficult time figuring out how to make it conform to gasoline filling station regulations!
The Trails Crew fleet includes a 2007 Chevy one-ton dually, two Kawasaki "Mules," two Kubota ATVs, two "retired" forest service Chevy Blazers, two cube vans, a 2 ¼ ton military dump truck, a 100HP ASV Posi-Track, 30 HP skid loader and a little Bobcat loader.
Many of these vehicles came from the government "boneyard" and have been recycled to cost-effectively leverage scarce funds.
Other state parks, such as Pleasant Creek and Mines of Spain, have been running B100 in a wide variety of equipment, much of it in John Deere tractors for mowing.
Four used 600-gallon aluminum portable used military fuel tanks have become our preferred dispensing apparatus at Big Creek.
Many of the bulk fuel tanks at other parks are old and never cleaned or tested for water. The likelihood of contamination makes using clean plastic IBC totes the cost effective solution to dispense B100.
The older engines in our fleet see maximum environmental benefit from the biodiesel we produce. To put a new $30,000 engine in an old truck with light duty cycle is not a cost effective solution.
Much of the federal stimulus directed to clean diesel is limited to engine repowers, installation of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) and fuel cost differential.
The fleets in the area that I have talked to had NO interest in any of the federal programs.
There seems to be a disconnect between the enormity of the problems (climate change, petroleum depletion) and the creativity required to effect timely positive change.
Working within the DNR has proven to be both challenging and advantageous. The DNR is a huge bureaucracy but also provides for direct access to high levels of expertise and regulatory assistance.
Operating inside a state park dictates a high level of compliance and scrutiny. Obtaining a land application permit for our wash water was much easier than it looked. We did not need a construction permit, but Polk county required an operating permit based off of a DNR construction permit (!).
The Iowa DNR has authority over all of Iowa, but two counties have independent Air Quality bureaus with a different set of rules. This patchwork of regulatory oversight makes siting issues quite difficult to resolve. How many of you have been bounced from department to department inquiring about various permits only to have to recite the story repeatedly, educating each bureaucrat as you go?
I strongly recommend Penn State's Biodiesel Best Practices Manual! I also require anyone on our crew who might be participating to read all issues of this magazine. I know of no better way to get someone up to speed on all of the issues that we face, with safety at the top of the list.
I also encourage small scale producers to reach out to their local regulatory agencies for assistance in complying with all appropriate rules for collection of oil and production of biodiesel.
We have continued on our mission of efficiency by installing a rain water collection system to supply our wash water and with further funding will install PV to power pumps and a hydronic system to provide process heat.
We are also developing a site assessment tool and implementation guidelines for project replication at other parks.
Every member of the DNR from Executive Director to my coworkers has been incredibly supportive and encouraging.
We still run into unit managers who say that they are unwilling to make any sort of change because Kubota and Ford only warranty B5, but we operate under the hope that first hand experience and education will begin to win over the "I ain't ever changing" crowd.
The status quo has left us in a terrible predicament and we must utilize every opportunity to improve our environment and situation. In these days of high oil prices, Cap and Trade legislation, Tier 4 emissions standards and DPFs, the future of our country is being decided.
As members of the community that have decided to take matters into their own hands, it is up to us to find a seat at that table and creatively advocate for locally-owned appropriate solutions. Big business has a seat at that table, and it does not have our best interests in mind.
I invite anyone passing through Iowa or attending the Iowa State Biodiesel workshop in Ames to give me a call and stop in and see our production facility.

Steve Fugate has been making biodiesel for years. He founded Tiffin, Iowa’s Yoderville Biodiesel Co-op, and co-owns Green World Biofuels. Contact him at steve@greenworldbiofuels.com The opinions expressed in this story reflect the beliefs of the author a