According to Cleveland, Ohio, city officials the opening of the new large-scale biodiesel plant, by the Center for Alternative Energy, is expected to lead to a greater supply of cheaper, cleaner burning fuel. The center is expected to begin deriving biodiesel from soybean oil when production begins on May 6, 2007, at its new storage facility located along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland.

John Samsel, company president for Center Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Center Oil Co., states that biodiesel burns cleaner than traditional diesel while providing extra lubrication that makes an engine run more smoothly. He further adds that Cleveland was chosen instead of other alternatives due to its access to railways, its proximity to Lake Erie and a significant volume of diesel customers in the area.

However, according to John McGovern, director of the Northeast Ohio clean Fuels Program, part of the Earth Day Coalition, since currently only a handful of retail locations sell the biodiesel in northeast Ohio the key will be to find distributors who want to carry the 5 percent to 20 percent biodiesel blend. Samsel said he envisions most of these blends being sold to private vehicle fleets, though retail stations may also want some.

Andrew Watterson, Cleveland’s sustainability manager, acknowledges that once production is begun the city of Cleveland will begin using a 5 percent biodiesel blend in 10 to 15 percent of their diesel fleet and begin a six-month monitoring program to test emissions and engine performance in 15 of those vehicles. City officials are hoping to see reduced particulate emissions and no change in the amount of nitrogen oxide released in the exhaust. Additionally, they hope to find that the friction-reducing quality of biodiesel will help protect the vehicles engines from the harshness of the ultra-low-sulfur diesel used by the city.

To make its biodiesel, Center Alternative Energy mixes soybean oil with sodium methylate, a catalyst that promotes a chemical reaction, as well as, Methanol, which sustains the reaction. Together these reactions result in the bonding of the hydrogen and carbon molecules that causes the liquid to divide into an organic compound – which is the biodiesel – and glycerol. The two are then separated in a centrifuge and refined. The biodiesel is then ready to be blended. The glycerol can be sold for fuel or used for hand creams and lotions.

Will this new fuel benefit the consumer? One will have to wait and see what Cleveland’s outcome is but for now it looks promising as a means of keeping our environment cleaner for the next generation and making fuel affordable for all of us.

[tags]Cleveland Ohio, Alternative Energy, Biodiesel, Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie, Center Alternative Energy, John Samsel, John McGovern, Earth Day Coalition, Cleaner fuel[/tags]