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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, January 1, 2003

Biodiesel drives conservation impulse

By Karen Gaudette
Associated Press

UKIAH, Calif. — Surrounded by tail-wagging dogs, Dave Hawley stuck his face up to the exhaust of his delivery truck and inhaled.

David Hawley, co-owner of Yokayo Biofuels in Ukiah, Calif., shows a jar of biodiesel, the fastest-growing alternative fuel. Advocates say it improves engine life, fuel economy and cuts air pollution.

Associated Press

Hawley is indeed hooked on biodiesel, a pollution-reducing fuel made from restaurant grease or the oil of crops such as soybeans. The fastest-growing alternative fuel in the country, it extends engine life, improves fuel economy, cuts air pollution and reduces reliance on foreign oil, says the National Biodiesel Board. It has been used in Europe for about 15 years.

Biodiesel is more expensive than traditional diesel — at least 30 percent more, at one point last summer. Lawmakers have proposed tax incentives for using the fuel, but Congress adjourned last session without acting on the bills.

"If it were the same price, I think we would see use expand dramatically," said Jenna Higgins, spokeswoman for the biodiesel board, a trade group affiliated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Biodiesel releases less carbon monoxide and fewer hydrocarbons and particles than petroleum-based diesel, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and works for most diesel engines.

Hawley's so hooked on it, he has sipped the amber-colored liquid to demonstrate its low toxicity to the 100-plus customers of his Yokayo Biofuels company — local farmers, California wineries and a fleet of coffee delivery trucks.

"It really just gives people a way not to live with hypocrisy," he said outside the garage where he and business partner Kumar Plocher experiment with batches of lye, wood or grain alcohol and various vegetable oils in Ukiah, a rural community 120 miles north of San Francisco.

Biodiesel is produced by blending lye, methanol or ethanol and oil, then letting it settle. Glycerin, a soap ingredient, separates out. Plocher and Hawley may even add essential oils so tailpipes will spew the scent of lavender or rosemary.

Yokayo distributes 13,000 gallons of biodiesel a month, making it one of the country's largest independent distributors in the $25 million annual industry, according to the National Biodiesel Board.

Tim Piper, director of vineyard operations for Fetzer Vineyards, one of California's 10 largest wineries, has powered tractors and other farm equipment with biodiesel for a year.

"They're running great — absolutely no difference," Piper said.

Biodiesel is commonly sold in a mixture of 80 percent petroleum-based diesel and 20 percent biodiesel. Because of growing demand and few suppliers, a gallon of the 80/20 blend cost $1.79 on the West Coast in July, compared with $1.38 for a gallon of petrodiesel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

But many conservationists say they don't mind paying more, and federal pollution regulations are providing an incentive for fleet managers. The U.S. Postal Service, for instance, has used biodiesel at locations including San Francisco and New York.

U.S. production of biodiesel is expected to surpass 20 million gallons this year and 40 million gallons in 2003, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Soybean oil accounted for 90 percent of the material used.

Hawley and Plocher say they're turning a modest profit and plan to open biodiesel filling stations in Ukiah and Santa Rosa in a few months.

"The beauty of biodiesel, in my opinion, is it comes from plants," Plocher said. "It's part of an active cycle."