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New and Exciting Biodiesel Technology Comes To Illinois

It was a crisp fall day as The Chief Engineer staff set out for Seneca, Illinois, to get a sneak peek at what will soon be one of the largest biodiesel facilities to date in North America. With energy conservation, global warming, and rising fuel costs on the front page of every daily newspaper and nightly on the TV news, we were excited to see what new technology was being developed to facilitate the move towards a more energy conscious society.

As the countryside unfolded during our drive, we began to wonder why a place that seemed to be set in the middle of nowhere was chosen for such cutting edge technology. We would find out as soon as we reached Seneca, but our first stop was in Minooka, IL, with Jim Jacobsen, Jr., General Manager of Northwestern Industrial Piping, a division of Edwards Engineering.

The Edwards Engineering Minooka site was opened specifically for the Nova Biodiesel project. This 50,000 square-foot pre-fabrication facility was chosen for its close proximity to the Seneca plant. In addition the site was a perfect choice for a project of this scope. Existing buildings with large amounts of space made it easy for Edwards Engineering to outfit the shop according to the needs of the job. “We were excited and extremely proud to have been awarded this opportunity,” Jim told us. “We went up against some of the best contractors in the area.” Jim credits a lot of their success to a highly trained staff of Local 597 Pipefitters who have the training and experience to complete a job of this magnitude.

We took a brief tour of their facility and had to remind ourselves not to be fooled by first impressions. A few buildings and a lot of pipe in no way told the story of the important work being done here. It was not until we reached the Seneca site that the true story began to unfold. It was easy to see the amount of pride that each of the workers on site had, not only in their employer but in the project they were involved in. Pipe everywhere, in every mode of fabrication, was diligently being formed according to specifications for the Seneca plant. Miles of pipe would be prepared here and transported to its final destination some 20 miles away.

Once again we took to the road for the short 20 mile trip to Seneca. Winding backroads and a ride through Seneca, the quintessential small-town America, made us wonder, once again, why Seneca? We would soon find out.

We met with Nova Biosource Project Manager, Jeff Jones, who offered us a spectacular tour of the biodiesel facility, albeit not quite completed. His soft-spoken manner belied the level of enthusiasm that ran just below the surface. As we talked about biodiesel, what it is, the benefits and pitfalls, and why Seneca, Jeff’s in-depth knowledge and genuine excitement of the subject became readily apparent. We were in luck today. Site operators were at a training session off site and for a few brief hours we had Jeff all to ourselves.

Beginning as early as the 1980’s, biodiesel had become a fuel of interest. By the 1990’s, it became an intense subject as an alternative fuel source. And although it had a slow start, biodiesel today is the fastest growing alternative fuel in the world for two distinct reasons: because it comes from an oil stock it is self-lubricating; and, biodiesel is a clear burning fuel, giving off no sooty black flame as seen in most traditional fuels.

Quite simply, biodiesel is made from the process of turning vegetable oils – soybean, corn, and reclaimed fryer oil as well as many other different oils and animal fats – into a combustible ester, namely biodiesel. Through a refining process known as transesterification, the oils are separated into two viable components – fatty acid methyl esters, the chemical name for biodiesel, and glycerin, a byproduct that can be used for many other products. Once refined, the biodiesel product will meet or exceed ASTM D6751 guidelines to ensure proper performance in all diesel engines.

With this brief introduction into biodiesel technology, we proceeded outside where Jeff took us on a tour of the 54-acre facility. “Although currently we only use a portion of the site, we have room for plenty of expansion,” Jeff told us. We stood first where roughly 70 semi-trucks daily will deliver the different types of feedstocks. Just days prior to our arrival the concrete had been poured for this purpose. In addition to semi-trucks, rail delivery will be utilized as well. All feedstock is then offloaded into a series of three large holding tanks, where it will eventually be piped into the processing building. While the piping assembly had not yet been completed, Jeff told us that work is progressing rapidly and the completion of activities is drawing closer each day.

As Jeff pointed out the three holding tanks, he told us that the Seneca plant, being the largest to date at the time, is actually considered to be three plants in one. “We knew our other, smaller plants worked. The next step was building and operating a larger facility, without having to redraw plans and specifications. So we put the idea of three smaller plants into one large plant,” Jeff told us. “And it worked.”

Once the feedstock reaches the processing building the fats are split into glycerin and biodiesel. Each oil type requires a different process. What makes the Nova process unique is that it can adjust its processing to accommodate each individual type of oil. In addition, Nova’s technology completely eliminates the water wash process common in many other types of refining. All of Nova’s refineries are nearly energy self-sufficient, recovering waste heat and utilizing it in other parts of the process. Their process is closed loop ensuring that odor control and emissions are within air quality limits.

Once refined, the fuel is sent to day tanks, each of which hold approximately 12 hours of biodiesel production, where it is tested to ensure that it meets or exceeds ASTM specifications.

From here the liquid is transferred to another set of holding tanks, awaiting distribution. The whole process takes approximately 8 hours from offloading to distribution. This continual operation will produce 60 million gallons of biodiesel fuel a year.

I asked Jeff about the advantages of biodiesel, and there were plenty. He told us biodiesel burns at the same pressure ranges as diesel fuel and can therefore be used in all diesel engines. Biodiesel is highly popular for over the road, agricultural, mining and marine use. “And, let’s face it,” he said. “We are going to run out of oil eventually. The use of biodiesel eliminates our dependence on foreign oil and that is a good thing.” And in doing a little research we found a few more pluses for the use of biodiesel:

• Biodiesel is nearly carbon neutral so that it contributes almost nothing to global warming.

• Biodiesel is classified as non-flammable by the NFPA and is not required to carry a Hazardous Material label when shipped.

• It burns up to 75% cleaner than conventional diesel fuel. In fact, in June, 2000, Congress announced that biodiesel had become the only alternative fuel to complete the testing requirements of the Clean Air Act of 1990.

• Biodiesel is environmentally friendly: it is renewable, “more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt” (US National Biodiesel Board).

We continued on with our tour through the processing building where interior rooms were still under construction. Approximately eight or nine contractors are on-site at any given time, including Edwards Engineering who is still in the process of installing the piping and vessels to complete the project. “Edwards Engineering has done a fantastic job for us. Their level of professionalism, quality of workmanship and ability to compress construction activities is very much appreciated and respected,” Jeff piped in.

A flurry of activity was taking place as we observed the installation of electrical transformers, drywall, flooring and a host of other projects being performed. We were surprised to learn that there will actually be only a handful of Nova Biosource employees on each shift for production as the plant is highly automated. A high degree of redundancy and safety measures have been built in to the plant to ensure safe and robust operation.

Jeff continued on, “If you look into the future there are other ways to develop feedstock used to make biodiesel so we can become less dependent on importing hydrocarbon based fuels. I can’t see a downside to any of this,” he said.

As we climbed to the top of the steel structure to get a better view of the entire operation the thought occurred to us: If this process is so simple and clearly appears to be a win-win situation for everyone involved, why then, is it not so popular?

He answered this way: “This is a win-win situation for everyone: the community who benefits from employment; the environment; and the nation. But anything that is new and unknown takes awhile to get used to. But once it becomes familiar, it’s OK.”

We gazed out over the beauty and simplicity of the surrounding land. Then that nagging question that had been bothering us from the beginning came up again: Why Seneca, Illinois?

Jeff answered that question quite matter of factly. “ A local person played a large part in picking Seneca. Local farmer, Jay Fillman, had previously helped set up an ethanol plant and was looking at biodiesel as his next venture. Through his involvement with the ethanol project he learned one very important lesson: you must be near your feedstock and product offtake sources. And after a lot of investigation into a future site Nova determined Seneca was close to soybean oil sources, reclaimed fats and greases from the Chicago area, and close to water so that eventually the product could be shipped via waterways.” Mystery solved.

So, next time you’re on a warm Sunday afternoon drive on the backroads of some quintessential American town and a gentle whiff of French fries floats in through the window, don’t necessarily start looking for the nearest restaurant. Take a close look at the vehicle next to you.

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