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Bridging the Biofuel Transition: A Simplified Approach Using Straight Vegetable Oil By Dr. Perry E. Cabot, Colorado State University Like many people, I first became aware of biodiesel about 10 years ago, in my case when I was in my Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One evening at a cohort’s get-together, I remember meeting one of those “off the grid” types that are prevalent in the Madison social structure: part-time student, full-time activist. In between swigs of his microbrew, this guy raved on and on about some old Mercedes he converted to run on vegetable oil. “Burns clean and smells like French fries,” he noted, consistent with the typical refrain. As he explained the details to me, I learned
about the book From the Fryer to Fuel Tank (2003) by Joshua Tickell, which I picked up a few days later. Unlike my acquaintance, however, I never did buy a diesel vehicle, or really even commit to biodiesel at all for that matter. To be honest, the idea of propositioning the local McDonald’s (or Burger King or wherever) just seemed like a lot more work than I was willing to put in for what I surmised would be a fairly insubstantial impact on my wallet, however progressive the idea might be. To be even more blunt, the whole approach had a sort of “bottom feeder” stigma to it, which is
not to say that it wasn’t sensible, but I wasn’t sold on the idea that sucking spent oil from fast-food grease traps was going to make a noticeable dent in the larger sphere of the fossil fuel crisis. I have a feeling that my Mercedes-driving acquaintance would agree with me, and probably even admit that his purposes were more selfish than virtuous. He may have just wanted to save a few bucks on gas and probably gain a little notoriety for using such a novel fuel alternative. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of sustainability issues, however,
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Interested in sustainability? Love your local economy? That’s Natural! is celebrating it’s fifth year as a company and wants you to learn more about the businesses in your community that are doing great things for people, planet, and profit. We are a team of people on a mission to educate others about health and wellness, environmental stewardship, and the efficient velocity of money when it is spent within one’s own community. Liberty lovers and locavores unite. That’s Natural! will be hosting events and learning opportunities around New Mexico and Colorado in 2011. If you are interested in being on our email list, please send us an email at: thats.natural.info@gmail.com. “The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.” Paul Hawken
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RESOURCES Bridging the Biofuel Transition, Continued knows that these “frybrid” drivers aren’t misguided. Over the past decade, there is mounting support that biofuels will be critical to our civilization’s future relationship with energy, both in the United States and abroad. Those who watch this topic closely are likely aware of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) promulgated in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, along with the recently expanded RFS-2 signed earlier this year. The second installment of this standard now specifically outlines a component for U.S. diesel fuel, requiring the use of 650 million gallons of biomass-based diesel in 2010, increasing gradually to 1 billion gallons in 2012. The RFS-2 further stipulates a minimum of 1 billion gallons for domestic use from 2012 through 2022 (NOTE: USEPA is also authorized to increase the requirement). While these numbers might seem large, it is quite sobering to compare them with current U.S. diesel fuel consumption – approximately 50 billion gallons per year. A similar parallel exists in regards to motor gasoline and its alternatives (ethanol, etc.). So, the new era of biofuel is being ushered in about as rapidly as it takes one to climb out of – well, a tarpit. Aside from the lack of real political muscle on this issue, a number of other factors continue to stifle progress towards a broad energy economy for renewable fuels. In regards to biodiesel, for example, these various factors include the lack of a stable market (arguably made worse by delays in extending the $1-per-gallon Biodiesel Tax Credit, set to expire again this year), along with intense competition between various renewable fuel sectors and approaches, and the underlying fact that the nature of the problem with which we are dealing is indeed quite complex. Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the arguments supporting increased use of biofuels are becoming ever more relevant. Whether it is the energy security proponents who advocate ways of reducing US military incursions into hostile yet oil-rich countries, or environmental activists who favor carbon neutral approaches and lower greenhouse gas emissions, the dialogue always comes back to biofuels being integral to these goals. Unfortunately, a sudden shift away from using petroleumbased fuels is unlikely in the coming years and perhaps decades, given that competing social, economic and political forces are not currently aligned to support this transition. The biofuel agenda continues to be valid and ever more timely, however, so what options are available as a “bridge” to continue moving on this path, until the more complex and larger solutions bear out? Consider the words of Gen. George Patton, whose maxim that “a good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow” befits this transition. One such “good plan” in underway right here in the Arkansas Valley, at The Big Squeeze, LLP in Rocky Ford (about 50 miles east of Pueblo on Highway 50) started by producers Hal Holder, Joel Lundquist and Rick Young. Adopting an approach from Daniel McAmoil, a Kansas grain farmer and cattle rancher, the three men invested in the necessary equipment to extract straight vegetable oil (SVO) from oleaginous (oilseed) plants, such as canola (Brassica napus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and camelina (Camelina sativa). The main goal was to develop a comparable low-viscosity fuel derived from SVO, which they could grow easily on their farms, while avoiding the challenges of traditional biodiesel production. Making biodiesel, for instance, requires an alcohol input, such as methanol or ethanol, in the presence of a potentially dangerous catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide), then yielding glycerin as a by-product. Furthermore, while SVO can be burned in
typical diesel engines, some modifications are necessary for heating so it moves through the fuel lines and burns effectively when it reaches the combustion chamber of the engine. Having decided that these engine modifications were only slightly less cumbersome than full-scale biodiesel production, the approach adopted by The Big Squeeze is based on a simple modification of the SVO itself. The key ingredient? Regular unleaded gasoline (RUG), and yes – I was perplexed too. The Big Squeeze, to be clear, does not actually produce biodiesel, or any fuel for that matter. Instead, for a nominal fee based on tonnage, they simply process the oilseed so that local farmers do not have to invest in the expensive equipment needed to extract the clean oil. Moreover, the “cake” that remains after processing is also an optimum feed for animal herds, and offers a financial return along with the oil. Thereafter, the SVO user needs an on-farm metered tank system (Figure 1) in order to mix SVO and RUG at approximately a 3:1 ratio to achieve a specific gravity (SG) of 0.865. The specific gravity can be measured easily with a simple tool called a hydrometer, available for about $40-$50 through a laboratory equipment supplier. Aside from its simplicity, the reason why this mixture is remarkable is that the 3:1 ratio means that for every gallon of fuel used, approximately 75% is derived from vegetable oil, while the remaining 25% would still come from petroleum-based fuel. Obviously, this is not a small reduction. The blend ratio may have to be modified somewhat depending on temperature conditions, for instance, but significant reductions are still available.
Since fuel costs are one of the single largest and most uncertain expenses faced during the cropping season, farmers in the Rocky Ford area have used this method for several years to power farm machines and vehicles with favorable results. The simple SVO/RUG mixture has been used in unmodified diesel engines, thus far without problems or any reduction in their performance. In 2009, I heard Mr. Holder speak at the annual Arkansas Valley Farm/Ranch/Water Symposium & Trade Show. Although my knowledge of biofuels was somewhat negligible, I was intrigued by the idea that oilseeds, particularly winter canola, might offer a viable alternative to crops like corn and alfalfa, which will be unrealistic in settings of reduced water supplies. Agricultural production in the Lower Arkansas Valley of Colorado will continue to be impacted by water rights transfer and lease arrangements in the coming years. Much of the water once used for irrigation will be used by municipal and industrial (M&I) interests. These shifts will require significant adaptation within the region as agricultural practices change, but I do not believe it is a foregone conclusion that water transfers will cause agriculture to deteriorate. Over the past year, Colorado State University (CSU) has worked with the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, Southeast Colorado Resource Conservation & Development Council, and Colorado Department of Agriculture to secure funding for further testing of oilseed crops that can be used in this simplified approach to biofuel. For example, we have conducted research on various lines of winter canola during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 cropping seasons, which showed production averaging 1,583 lb/acre (Figure 2), yielding between 50-100 gallons of SVO per acre. This work will continue for more seasons as we continue to evaluate the yield potential of canola in the Arkansas Valley, along with other
oilseed crops such as sunflower and camelina. As our research continues, we will better understand the proper management portfolio for these crops and the yield goals will continue to improve. While the Arkansas Valley will probably never offer the climate for “explosive” yields on oilseed crops, they provide a greater return to the land than simply letting it fallow and being overtaken by weeds. The CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory is also participating to compare several of the SVO/ RUG blends to typical diesel fuel. Though the project is in its preliminary phase of testing, our results indicate performance similar to typical diesel fuel. For example, three different blends were tested for power availability in a 4.5L John Deere tractor engine (Figure 3) using a dynamometer at the CSU facility. Results indicated 151.33 hp available for a “diesel baseline” representing typical petroleum-based diesel, as compared with 134.01, 140.62, and 142.99 for blends representing 68%, 34%, and 23% SVO respectively. These percentages represent the Blend A, B, and C in Figure 3. The remaining elements of the mixture included RUG or some fraction of RUG and actual diesel fuel. These results are expected. The physics alone will not allow any increase in power when using SVO because the energy is just not in the crop oils to produce it. Diesel fuel, for example, has a heating value of about 43 MJ/kg (mega‐joules/kilogram) while most crop oils, including canola and sunflower, hover around 37 MJ/kg. The assessment from users of the Big Squeeze blended fuel, however, is that they do not detect any noticeable change. Continued research will evaluate whether the comparable experience is due to other factors, such as the increased lubricity associated with SVO as compared with typical diesel fuel Our environmental results indicated a slight increase in the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions (Figure 4) while reducing hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions (Figure 5). In regards to the oxides of nitrogen, these emissions have been documented to increase or decrease in comparable tests, depending on the engine family and testing procedures. Our continual research will examine this issue in greater detail. The reduction of hydrocarbon emissions, however, is consistent with other biofuels such as biodiesel. In conclusion, the readers are most likely aware that the concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel is nothing new. Dr. Rudolf Diesel first developed the diesel engine in 1895 with the full intention of running it on a variety of fuels, including vegetable oil. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using peanut oil as fuel. In 1911 he stated “The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it.” In 1912, Diesel said “the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.” As we approach the 100-year anniversary of these statements, Dr. Diesel’s thinking surely seems remarkable for his time. We should be comforted, however, by the fact that we face a very soluble problem, considering that even 100 years ago a dominant use of biofuels was entirely reasonable. Although automotive and mechanical technology has changed and become more demanding, we have solutions that can take us to the next generation of fuel consumption, as long as we can bridge the transition effectively. The Big Squeeze offers one such solution as an immediate measure to help meet the goals required by this bridge. Dr. Perry Cabot is a Water Resources Specialist and Affiliate Assistant Professor for Colorado State University. He completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering and Land Resources at the University of Wisconsin.
Food & AGRICULTURE The Power of Local Food By Tisha T. Casida
Navigating the landscape of one’s food and environment has become rather complex. Not even 100 years ago, my grandparents consumed organic food and preserved their immediate environment by nurturing the land that provided them food and conserving resources that were not readily available. Today, we live in a country where our food supply is quite centralized. You will hear the anger directed towards “mega-farms” and the evil corporations that purchase small family farms to build these entities where hardly any humans are necessary to run the operations because of amazing mechanical and technological advances (the truth is, it is our fault as consumers that we let this happen). We, as consumers, create the market, and barring the unfortunate use of subsidies in agriculture – we as consumers really have the power to bring farming back into the hands of families and people who we can trust with our food supply. We must be willing to take actionable steps to support local producers, farmers, and ranchers. Corn, a product with an interesting history and an increasingly present staple food for Americans (take a look at any packaged food product, you will likely see: high-fructose-corn-syrup (HFCS), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, and modified corn starch to name just a small list of cornderived byproducts), is also a product that is often found being produced on those mega-farms. Even in smaller farms on the outskirts of agricultural towns, you can see signs for corn products (often these are testing genetically-modified corn products and/or insecticides/pesticides that can be used in tandem with the genetically modified product). Monsanto, if you have any time to research or if you are familiar with their overall mission in agriculture, is a company dedicated to changing the landscape of food production. Their “sustainable” mission is questionable at best, and their infiltration into the agricultural market (along with other large companies such as DuPont and Bayer) is deep. This is, of course, all my opinion. The reason I have a strong one is because I was affected first-hand by the run-off water and copious amounts of chemicals poured into the agricultural landscape above the mesa where I grew up. After several years of sickness, I did enough research to figure out that food and my environment affected how I felt, and I drastically changed how I ate and what types of chemicals I exposed myself to. I, personally, know that power of a healthy food supply and nurtured environment. Which is what we should all focus on. Food is medicine – it is the most powerful elixir of health and
well-being because food is what we continually put into our bodies every day that builds every single cell and helps to initiate every single synapse amongst our nerves in our amazing biological system. Food, over the past twelve thousand (and maybe more) years, has a track record of affecting people’s bodies and minds. Food, and herbs, and other components taken from the earth, have a track record of preventing disease as well as healing disease. Only recently (in the span of human existence, e.g., the past 50 years) have we noticed and extreme spike in diseases associated with the mutation of cells (cancer), obesity (heart disease), and people’s nervous systems (attention-deficit disorder, depression, and various others). Why? Is it because we eat foods that are so highly processed that the existence of nutrients in them is questionable? Is it because almost everything we eat has had some exposure to pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetic modification? Is it because of the federal legislation coming down the echelons of bureaucracy that is actually trying to control (also known as eliminate) local food production and gardening [see S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act]? Is it because our society is obsessed with taking a pill to feel better versus analyzing our fast-food, convenient-store, non-local food intake that may have caused the problem in the first place? Food is medicine. Food is the building block of our life – for thousands of years there are traditions in every culture surrounding the creation and preparation of food. Today, many wonderful organizations exist that are attempting to educate our communities about the importance of food, having a local food supply, and seeking out small farmers, ranchers and producers where one can feel confidant about their purchase of products. If you know who is growing your food (and it is even better if you can do some of this yourself), then you can trust the nutrients that are in that food, as well as boost your local economy by keeping that dollar spent locally. Grocery stores are starting to recognize this growing trend, with a natural/organic selection as well as signage for produce that is brought in locally. For many smaller, niche farmers, it is impossible to supply the kind of demand at these grocery stores, and opens up many unique opportunities for them to sell locally in micro-markets targeting a specific community. Everyone can eventually win. I eat about a 75% natural/organic diet and supplement what I am eating with a “green drink”, fish oils, and various other supplements that I believe to aid my body in detoxing the other impurities that are abundant in places that I cannot
control. I seek out local suppliers of my meat and milk because proteins are probably the most important building block and should be the most pure (again, coming from someone who is not a doctor). When the season starts, I purchase a part of a CSA (community-supported-agriculture), where I receive a share of a food every week. I go to local farmers’ markets and hold my producers’ feet to the fire in asking them how they grow their products or raise their animals – I, the consumer, keep them honest. In doing so, I protect myself. I also pay a little bit more than what I would pay at the grocery store for my food – that is because my food is my health care. If I take care of myself I won’t need prescriptions, or other forms of modern medicine that don’t seem to ever really help or heal. We, as consumers, must be adamant about protecting ourselves, our food supply, and our communities. No one else will do this for us. Because we must be healthy before we can accomplish anything else, it has always been a personal mission of mine to educate myself and my readers about what they can do to build healthy bodies while creating strong local economies and protecting an environment where we all want our children and grandchildren to someday play without the fear of getting sick. The first step is to educate yourself on what you are eating, seek out local producers who you can trust, and then spend your money locally with these people. Here are some resources to help get you started. Recommended Books on Our Food Supply Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan – A fantastic read on our food supply, our constraints, and our options in how to engage with the products we eat. Food Rules by Michael Pollan – A very simplified guide for what to eat and what to avoid. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – An in-depth journey through the creation of a small family enterprise that is self-sustainable and an integral part of other family enterprises in a community. Food Politics by Marion Nestle – A well-researched book on the food industry’s deep involvement with what America eats and the politics behind “nutrition”.
The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb
THINK/LIVE
Food Combining Made Easy by Herbert Shelton, A Book Review Chris Stern
What Happened to Eden? Imagine a world filled with free food, perfect health and good natured, law abiding citizens. No laws are needed because the human inhabitants of this world lack the scourge of inappropriate desire. Lacking inappropriate desire, people exhibit unselfish, indiscriminate virtue. Such a world, dubbed the Garden of Eden exists in the book of Genesis of The Holy Bible. Interestingly, accounts of this world also exist in The Analects given by Confucius as well as ancient Daoist traditions. All three of these, essentially historical or even simply ideological accounts arrive at the same conclusion. At some point during the course of the existence of Eden, something happens and humankind starts to inherit a world filled with greed, selfish desire, and man-made laws that cannot, it seems, remain unbroken.
The rules that are put forth in Food Combining Made Easy are simple, but they do fly in the face of what is considered American cuisine today. There are many stakeholders present that would contest any truth that these rules may or may not contain. These stakeholders can be summarized within the groups of for profit industries as well as the individual desires of appetite. Basically everyone is a stakeholder in the current notions of how one should eat and remains one of the most difficult notions to deconstruct, both personally and collectively. Based on my own self knowledge and personal experiments, I posit that this has been the case since the beginnings of civilization. In relation to the Garden of Eden,
In modern times, a little known movement, dubbed the Natural Hygiene Movement, proposes that the ideals of an Eden like existence have not completely fallen away from humanity. Rather, through proper and disciplined choices, based on the scientific research undertaken by medical doctors, all of humanity contains the ingredients necessary to regress back to an Edenlike existence.
of vitamins, nutrients and simple sugars that will provide a quick and lasting boost of energy nicely regarded at the beginning of the day. Watch out for fruitful combinations that put acids and bases together. For Instance, Apples and oranges do not combine as well as oranges and strawberries. For evidence of this, try combining baking soda and orange juice in a container without entertaining a naturally energetic reaction. Lunch – Eat starchy vegetables such as squash, potatoes and/or whole grains with vegetable salad. The complex carbohydrates in these types of vegetables will sustain your energy levels for the rest of the day while naturally providing vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens are the backbone of a vegetable salad but other examples exist as well. Watch out for processed carbohydrates as most of the nutrients have been leached from the flours during the processing. Attempts to add vitamins and nutrients to processed food would not need to occur if the food was not processed. In essence, keep it natural. Dinner – Choose a single protein source and eat this with vegetable salad. Meaty proteins are all flesh, so there is not a problem combining different meats. However, cheese is a separate type of protein from meat and do not combine well. Similarly, natural proteins are found in a variety of foods that are grown that should be kept to a single source of protein (i.e. nuts, chickpeas etc.). Proteins at the end of the day help facilitate the natural healing process as these materials are largely what the body uses to repair itself. Separated from the starches, the body is able to utilize the individual nutrients most efficiently and effectively.
In his classic book, Food Combining Made Easy, Herbert M. Shelton takes up a mere sixty-three pages of a reader’s time to expound on the essential dietary choices which contain the power to awaken Eden in all of humanity. First published in 1940, Food Combining Made Easy remains available to today’s reader. Mainly a practical guide to eating, this volume does touch on the need to balance emotional and physical aspects of a person. For a person capable of following a few simple rules, however, this little book provides strict guidelines that go beyond simply eating those vegetables that a lot of mothers and doctors have given up attempting to facilitate. Compared to modern societal staples of fast food, junk (processed) food and more food – this little book seems stricter than ten pairs of helicopter parents put together. The most fundamental aspect of these rules is that they are based on digestion. Medical Doctors in the 1800’s conducted, live, practical research on digestion. The rules then are a product of their findings along with Shelton’s own experiences and those of the people he treated. It is worth mentioning that in his lifetime, Shelton was jailed several times during his life for practicing medicine without a license. In 1921 he graduated from the American School of Naturopathy with a Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) and a Doctor of Naturopathic Literature (ND Lit). He published over forty books and ran several sanitariums across the country. Still, he was plagued with legal battles as the establishment was and still is critical of his views.
my idea is essentially that the Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge actually represents the beginning of processing foodstuffs and combining them in unnatural ways in human history. Perhaps there never was a time when all people on this planet ate natural diets. Nonetheless, one thing I do know for certain through my own experience is that the practical implementation of the natural diet put forth by Shelton in Food Combining Made Easy, practiced over time (two or more days) brought an Eden-like existence directly into my personal viewfinder. Following are the basic rules, organized in the threemeals-a-day schema of daily sustenance that most world citizens desire to enjoy today. These are purposely abridged; something that is a keystone to harnessing the potential of this information is to take that personal step forward and discover for yourself how this information can be used and what further information you might need to further your own understanding. For starters though, you might try these rules for a day as a personal gauge. After all, what is one day without a sandwich and all of its manifestations that tend to be the very definition of American Cuisine (i.e. burgers, pizza, burritos, chow mien, spaghetti etc.). Breakfast – Eat fruit. Fresh fruit is a natural combination
Water – Do not drink water with a meal. This washes away the digestive enzymes needed to properly digest the food. Drink water at least ten minutes before a meal and after enough time has passed for the meal to be digested. Cheating – When cross-combining does occur, Shelton recommends skipping a meal to allow the body time to digest the food properly. In his landmark book, Food Combining Made Easy, Shelton provides a definition of eating that largely escapes civilized minds today. Are his rules a road map to Eden? Was there ever an Eden or a Golden Age like those described in the literatures that survive from the past into the present? Can we as individuals transform ourselves, thereby providing a guiding light for the rest of humanity by the disciplined application of this definition of eating? Doesn’t it make sense that at the root of any type of change we desire to make for ourselves, in our lives, lays the very stuff that we put into our bodies? The historical question may never be answered but the others, by my own personal assessment are rhetorical. Chris Stern is a blue-collar-scholar; he works and goes to school in Pueblo, Colorado. He can be reached by email at undestroyer@tvbl.info
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