Big Oil joins biodiesel
Motiva Enterprises LLC, a major
petroleum refiner, has begun to blend biodiesel with regular petroleum-based diesel at a Dallas terminal, a move that
helps get the fuel in the tanks of drivers. Motiva, the result of a partnership between Shell Oil Co. and Saudi
Refining Inc., gives significant credibility to biodiesel according to supporters. Says Paul Nazzaro, liaison to the
National Biodiesel Board, about the announcement, "Frankly, a behemoth step." Motiva joins other refiners blending biodiesel with motor oil at the terminal level including Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp. Sales of biodiesel in the U.S. has jumped from 500,000 gallons in 1999 to 75,000,000 gallons in 2005.
[Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Anonymous Coward 7:57PM (4/04/2006)
This sounds great, but what I think is most likely to happen is you'll first see laws that make it harder (if not completely impossible) to make your own biodiesel, and you will see biodiesel that costs more than regular diesel come out. Followed by some law making regular diesel obselete, and.. Viola, the oil companies will complain about how hard the new standard is to meet, all the while raking in huge profits.
(and, before you bash Bush for being in bed with the oil companies, check out how much Enron contributed to Clinton's presidency, and you'll realize that aLL politicians are in bed with them...)
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Gunnar Heinrich 8:04PM (4/04/2006)
What will be a behemoth step is when Exxon decides that it will through significant percentages of its massive earnings towards such alternative efforts.
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com
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S 8:16PM (4/04/2006)
I always hear the term biodiesel followed by the phrase "reduce dependence on foreign oil". Kinda sucks then that Saudi Refining Inc. is spearheading this thing.
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Nat 8:57PM (4/04/2006)
"(and, before you bash Bush for being in bed with the oil companies, check out how much Enron contributed to Clinton's presidency, and you'll realize that aLL politicians are in bed with them..."
Amen to that. When both parties get their funding from the exact same source, we actually only get one party.
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Hank 9:00PM (4/04/2006)
“I always hear the term biodiesel followed by the phrase "reduce dependence on foreign oil". Kinda sucks then that Saudi Refining Inc. is spearheading this thing.”
Well, it's not as though Shell's an American company, either:
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Royal_Dutch/Shell
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ajc 9:16PM (4/04/2006)
How about changing your headline...
Big Biodiesel joins Oil Companies
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Afterthought 9:18PM (4/04/2006)
When money's involved...party lines make no different.
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Afterthought 9:24PM (4/04/2006)
Woops can't spell...i meant "difference" ;)
http://afterthought.cjb.cc
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Joel A 9:44PM (4/04/2006)
RE: Bush, etc.
Folks, we're beginning to stray off-topic, here. This is a post about a refiner using biodiesel, a major step, apparently, for biodiesel supporters. Let's keep comments focused, shall we? 'appreciate it.
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far jr 10:55PM (4/04/2006)
One plus to all of this is that biodiesel (big company or not) can be grown/refined in the USA. Think of the economic impact of transferring the money currently going to countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iraq, etc. and keeping it in the USA! What a help to the trade deficit. Then we will need fertilizer to grow all of the biodieselbeans, which we will likely import from some other countries who will hold us captive to thier pricing cartel (FERTIPEC).
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hobie 12:24AM (4/05/2006)
This is why real Americans need to take bank loans and start biodiesel companies. I have a full plan, but no money and paltry credit. Overtake big oil with a grassroots uprising. If Ghandi could kick out the Brits, progressives can kick out Big Oil.
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goat 9:51AM (4/05/2006)
This makes a lot of sense. Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) must be rolled out by October of this year (July in California), and there will need to be a lubricity additive to take the place of the sulfur. Biodiesel, being sulfur-free, has excellent lubricity and is reasonably inexpensive, so it would seem to be ideal.
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Len 12:38PM (4/05/2006)
BioDiesel, BioDiesel! The latest craze! Has anyone analyzed this to determine what the net gain is? Is there a net gain? Or is BioDiesel a net loss in energy and money? Remember, it takes lots of diesel fuel and oil to work the land to plant crops. With "no-till" it takes less fuel but more herbicides and pesticides to help the crop grow - both requiring oil to make them. It also takes oil to make the fertilizer needed to grow crops. Then, more diesel fuel and oil to harvest the crop and transport it to market. Has anyone done the calculations to see if there is a gain? And what will happen when farmers start getting paid a price for their grain that is more than the cost to grow it, plus a small profit? Is it costing us more to make a gallon of BioDiesel than its worth? I would like to see the study done on this if anyone knows of one.
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Charles S 5:10PM (4/05/2006)
Len:
Just do a search for:
+biodiesel +"net energy"
There are sources which are negative on the matter, but various sites quoted that net energy is 3.2.
By the way, because sometimes the matter is somewhat political, it is important that people look at the dates where the data originates. Various anti-alt-fuel arguements often quote old researches done in the 70's.
Practices and efficiency in farming has changed dramatically, and the Net Energy number will only go up.
Lastly, while people may want to mix in personal feelings and politics into biodiesel, in terms of economics, it's smart for us to invest into alternative fuels, even if it is not a popular option.
First, when shortage occurs in oil supply, having an alternative source like biodiesel or ethanol can only help in price stabilization, rather than consumers suffering and changing their behaviors. Second, in cases where areas have crop surplus, converting wasted crop into fuel will help the farmers keep their bottomline, and oil companies can either cut back production, or sell oil to gov't as reserves. This assume that private sectors will play fair, and that greed would not get in the way.
Oil may be cheaper under various circumstances, but the cost of oil is more than just the price per gallon.
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James Sanders 8:31PM (4/09/2006)
I think Biodiesel should have US Companies own them and have nothing to do with the Foreign Oil Companies. This is one thing that should belong to the US and not be shipped out of the Country like Jobs have been lost to China, Mexico and India.
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Charlie Gilmore 10:42PM (4/09/2006)
I have been a racer all my life and I have burned numerous different chemicals in my engines including Methanol alcohol (the brother to ethanol). I know it burns clean, that you have to burn 130% more volume than gas and that it makes slightly more horsepower, mostly due to the increase in usable compression built into the engine. It is a viable fuel that can be made from renewable resources such as corn, grass and straw. I also know that the emmission produced from burning alky will cause tearing from the eyes, irritation to the throat and searing of the lungs. When ever I wanted to chase out the hang around guys from my shop I would fire up the race car and they would all run for the door. These emmissions can be controlled by more accurate metering of the flow and also by use of an afterburner so they are not insurmountable. Now, let's talk about nitromethane!!!
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