2008 Woodie Awards
Alternative fuel advocates defend ethanol, biodiesel
Doug Graham
Issue date: 6/26/08 Section: Front Page
After Schulte drove off in her Chevy Impala powered by E85 fuel (fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), Dennis Hupe took the stage to talk about biodiesel. He too brought a vehicle - a Dodge Ram powered by a mixture of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum-based diesel.
Hupe, director of field services for the Kansas Soybean Commission, also gave a PowerPoint in which he explained biodiesel's production and benefits.
Biodiesel is produced by culling soy oils from soybeans and combining them with a form of alcohol to make ethyl or methyl ester. The fuel, Hupe says, is just as efficient as traditional diesel fuel, but is cleaner and easily renewable.
The only waste product, glycerin, is used to make soap.
Biodiesel production, Hupe says, is also more efficient than ethanol production - not to mention 30 years younger.
"We right now are using only four percent of our soybean crop to produce half a billion gallons of biodiesel fuel," Hupe said.
In addition, Hupe said biodiesel production is unlikely to cut into food supply because soybeans are produced mostly for their oils and byproducts.
Thanks to a tax credit, Hupe said biodiesel is actually a little cheaper than diesel fuel, and can be mixed with petroleum diesel in any ratio.
However, some have expressed concerns about an increased amount of carbon dioxide emitted by biodiesel engines.
McNew, whose specialty is manufacturing, says he was "very pleased" with the speakers, and said these issues were sure to be brought up as the presidential election draws near.
"I've got McCain and Obama, the two advocates for these types of fuels," McNew said. "If (the students) are reading something negative in the paper, now they've got the other side so they can make the comparison."
But how does McNew feel about the fuels?
"I'm an ag kid, so I'm all for this stuff," said McNew. "As a taxpayer, at least this is something tangible I can see that going to."
McNew said he is "on the fence" about ethanol, but still buys it when possible.
"I'm worried about losing some miles per gallon with the E85... but we've got to do something different than what we're doing now," McNew said. "It's broken; we've got to fix it."
Hupe, director of field services for the Kansas Soybean Commission, also gave a PowerPoint in which he explained biodiesel's production and benefits.
Biodiesel is produced by culling soy oils from soybeans and combining them with a form of alcohol to make ethyl or methyl ester. The fuel, Hupe says, is just as efficient as traditional diesel fuel, but is cleaner and easily renewable.
The only waste product, glycerin, is used to make soap.
Biodiesel production, Hupe says, is also more efficient than ethanol production - not to mention 30 years younger.
"We right now are using only four percent of our soybean crop to produce half a billion gallons of biodiesel fuel," Hupe said.
In addition, Hupe said biodiesel production is unlikely to cut into food supply because soybeans are produced mostly for their oils and byproducts.
Thanks to a tax credit, Hupe said biodiesel is actually a little cheaper than diesel fuel, and can be mixed with petroleum diesel in any ratio.
However, some have expressed concerns about an increased amount of carbon dioxide emitted by biodiesel engines.
McNew, whose specialty is manufacturing, says he was "very pleased" with the speakers, and said these issues were sure to be brought up as the presidential election draws near.
"I've got McCain and Obama, the two advocates for these types of fuels," McNew said. "If (the students) are reading something negative in the paper, now they've got the other side so they can make the comparison."
But how does McNew feel about the fuels?
"I'm an ag kid, so I'm all for this stuff," said McNew. "As a taxpayer, at least this is something tangible I can see that going to."
McNew said he is "on the fence" about ethanol, but still buys it when possible.
"I'm worried about losing some miles per gallon with the E85... but we've got to do something different than what we're doing now," McNew said. "It's broken; we've got to fix it."
Be the first to comment on this story