The 2 Big Questions

As consumers, we drive the products available. If no one bought something, it would disappear quickly. On the flip side, whatever you buy a lot of will stick around for a while. There are 2 questions we need to ask about any product we consume:


1. What is it made from?

2. How is it made?


In our business, what are the biofuels made from? There are many choices: corn, soy, used cooking oil, algae, cellulose, expired soda pop, food scraps, palm oil, sugar cane, jaltropa seeds, camelina, hemp, canola, fish oil, animal fat, and many more. SeQuential has always had this question in mind. We source the best options from all of these: our biodiesel - made from used cooking oil - has the lowest lifecycle carbon footprint of any alternative fuel, including electric cars plugged into today's grid. Our ethanol is still evolving, but much of it now comes from food processing sugar waste. Produced this way, it shatters the conventional wisdom about ethanol being an evil fuel that will starve the world and destroy the environment.



How is it made?

If we made these cool biofuels using slave labor, coal-fired electricity, barrels of petroleum, and produced tons of waste by-products, the game is up. Fortunately, this isn't the case! Our plant in Salem uses a proprietary washing system that produces zero waste water and a high-grade fertilizer. Heavy fats and oils that can't be processed are burned for heat and power. We have a distilation column to capture and re-use our methanol. All employees are paid excellent wages and have full benefits.

Here's the bottom line: consumption is complex. Boiling this complexity down to simple triggers like "biofuel" or "organic" is not good enough. Shallow doesn't cut it, you have to go deeper.

Jealous of Europeans? You are now!

Americans are all too familiar with gasoline engines. Our diesel engine experience is limited to big trucks, old Mercedes, and a handful of newer VW's. Yet we hear about this high mileage utopia called Europe, where stylish diesels are in every garage.

The message from car companies is "America isn't ready for diesel...we can't make cars that get high mileage...it's all too costly..." Without going to Europe, and hearing messages like these, we logically conclude European diesel cars exist from annonymous brands we've never heard of. Mythical companies shrouded in secret...wooooooh.

Let the truth shine in! Below are interesting links from your favorite car companies. Hopefully these are the cars we'll be driving in the near future.

Warning: the following may increase your desire to leave America.

Honda Civic w/ diesel engine getting 55mpg: http://www.honda.co.uk/cars/civic5door/#fullspecification

Subaru Outback w/ diesel boxer engine, getting 43mpg: http://www.subaru.co.uk/Subaru_co_uk/ViewMenu.qed?menuid=M0M0M1

Toyota Yaris w/ diesel getting 69mpg: http://www.toyota.co.uk/cgi-bin/toyota/bv/generic_editorial.jsp?deepLink=YA5_Specification_new&nodiv=TRUE&fullwidth=TRUE&edname=specSheet_YA5&carModel=Yaris&imgName=bv/CarChapter/YA5/Imagery/YA5_spec.jpg&zone=Zone%20YARIS&navRoot=toyota_1024_root

Expanded SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel facility is online

After a years work, the newly expanded SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel facility has turned on and has started producing biodiesel. The facility has some major improvements in efficiency and production processes - making biodiesel even more sustainable.

The Statesman Journal did an interview with Plant Manager Tyson Keever - check it out:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081110/NEWS/811100329/1001/NEWS

Lots of new FlexFuels in 2009

I was just checking out the list of FlexFuel Vehicles (FFV) for model year 2009 and I have to give some big kudos to Chevy. Out of the 16 engine options they are offering, 13 are FFVs.

Vehicles that have FFV engines can use any ethanol blend of up to 85% ethanol, automatically adjusting engine timing to accomodate the fuel blend. Ethanol is much cleaner burning; a car running on E85 will decrease its Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 41%. (This number takes into account the fact that there is less energy in a gallon of ethanol than in a gallon of pure gasoline, meaning you will use more ethanol to go the same distance.) 85% Ethanol is generally the cheapest fuel around; if you are an Oregon resident, you also qualify for a $0.50 / gallon tax credit!

Historically, most FFVs have not been labeled as such - especially if you drive an American made vehicle, you might have an FFV and not even know it. Check out a list of all FlexFuel Vehicles at http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.php.

A list of all SeQuential E85 Ethanol pumps: http://www.sqbiofuels.com/locations.htm

More info on the Oregon Tax credit: http://www.sqbiofuels.com/tax_credit.html

High blends of biodiesel in newer vehicles

Concerns have been raised about using B99 Biodiesel in cars model years 2007 and beyond. SeQuential is researching these concerns and will update you as we learn more. In the mean time, if you are uncomfortable using a high-blend biodiesel, consider using a lower blend of biodiesel such as B5 or B20.

Cold weather is here: keep your vehicle on line!

It is time, once more, to switch to a lower blend of biodiesel.

For those of us who have been running B99 biodiesel thru the warmer months, now is the time to add some petroleum diesel to our fuel tanks to make sure there are no gelling problems.

Pure biodiesel will gel at colder temperatures; if you are having trouble starting your car in the morning, add some petroleum diesel to your fuel tank and let it mix in there. At the warmest part of the day, start up your car and then let it idle for a while.


SeQuential's recommendations are as follows:

45˚F, start blending with petroleum diesel

By the time temperatures reach 32F, you should be using 50% BIODIESEL and 50% diesel #2.

When temperatures get to 20F, you should be using 20% BIODIESEL and 80% diesel #2.

20% ethanol for every gas car?

The Department of Energy released a report today with their initial findings on a project to identify the effects of higher blends of ethanol in engines not designed for the fuel.

Vehicle results include the following when E15 and E20 were compared with traditional gasoline:

• Tailpipe emissions were similar;
• Under normal operations, catalyst temperatures in the 13 cars were largely unchanged;
• When tested under full-throttle conditions, about half of the cars exhibited slightly increased catalyst temperatures with E15 and E20, compared to traditional gasoline; and,
• Based on informal observations during testing, drivability was unchanged.

It is a little confusing that tailpipe emissions were similar. From research I've seen, 10% Ethanol blended in with gasoline decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 5%. E85 Flex Fuel (85% ethanol) decreases CO2 by about 41%.

It will be interesting to see where this research leads - bringing more ethanol into the fuel supply would decrease overall mileage, but it would decrease dependence on foreign oil as well.