I got a reply from the US DOE yesterday saying they found no merit in my preliminary grant application. I'm a little disappointed, but thought there might still be something of value here. If you have the time, let me know what you think
Tom Leue Homestead Inc. Biomass Research and Development for the Production of Fuels, Power, Chemicals and other Economical and Sustainable Products Solicitation 1435-01-02-RP-86382 Pre-Application Submitted 5/14/02 Submitted to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Proposal for a Biodiesel Development Center Submitted by: Thomas S. Leue, President, Homestead Inc. 1664 Cape St., Williamsburg, MA 01096 413 628-4533, Fax 413 628-3973 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Introduction Biodiesel fuel has been shown to be a superior diesel fuel in terms of environmental impact, balance of trade, global warming, toxicity, emissions, engine longevity, etc. However, it has not been generally available to the public due to the limited number of producers and their geographic locations. Biodiesel fuel has a potential to supply approximately 6.6% of national diesel fuel needs, according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). To date, the NBB has concentrated on production of biodiesel made from virgin soybean oil, and all testing has been limited to that product. This proposal will lead to the development of an urban biodiesel production facility in Albany, New York that will demonstrate the commercial potential of a fuel production business based on locally available yellow grease and other vegetable oil sources, along with providing the educational resources needed for others to duplicate this facility model in many other urban areas throughout the US. Technical Narrative The production of biodiesel has been developed using numerous technologies over the past twenty years or longer. The technical know how is largely in the public domain, but has not led to widespread production throughout the US. For instance, this researcher maintains the only commercial scale production facility within a 500 mile radius, located in Western Massachusetts. The biodiesel biorefinery operated by Homestead Inc. is a pilot scale, batch type production facility. Although each batch produced is small, currently 20 gallons net per batch and soon to go to 100 gallons net per batch, the large number of batches produced, over 300 to date, has developed an in-depth understanding of the collection and processing systems needed and the variability inherent in processing used vegetable oil. Over four years of development and operating experience has developed the basic requirements for a larger processing facility to be developed under this proposal. The development of another mid-sized biodiesel production facility by itself will not significantly change the rate of utilization of this alternative fuel. For example, New York State is currently using over 250,000 gallons biodiesel per year, a large part of our initial annual production of up to 1,000,000 gallons per year. The essence of this proposal is to operate a commercially viable biorefinery based on locally available yellow grease; to promote the use and availability to the public of biodiesel fuel in both B-20 and B-100 formulations; to document the technical operations and project economics of biodiesel production for use in other startup ventures; to make the facility accessible to the public for tours and formal training sessions so as to promote the introduction of the technology throughout the urban centers of the US; to undertake necessary testing of yellow grease-based biodiesel as required by 40 CFR 79 that has not been accomplished to date; and to remove the current obstacles that hinder the more widespread development of production facilities in other urban centers. The initial plan would include some advanced energy management operations. For example, all normal energy inputs required for operation would be site-produced from either on-site biofueled diesel electrical generation, biodiesel operated transportation, or from direct utilization of byproducts as an energy source for thermal process heat. The facility would be the first post-petroleum production facility of its kind, having no provisions for the on-site use of fossil fuels. After the initial startup and operation goals are met, the Biodiesel Development Center would undertake research that has not been extensively explored by others to date. For example, greasetrap waste represents a large problem throughout the US, both in terms of the burden for maintenance and operation of numerous public and private facilities, and also in environmentally acceptable disposal options in many locations. The Biodiesel Development Center would undertake basic investigations as to cost effective methods of recapturing and utilizing this abundant resource for additional biofuel production. Statement of Work The proposed tasks are as follows: A. Assembly of a development team, consisting of a) Technical Director b) Financial Officer c) Engineering team d) Marketing specialists e) Education consultant from the State University of New York at Albany B. Design of a 250,000 gallon per year initial production facility to be located in Albany, New York. Current site selection investigations indicate a favorable location in the urban Empire Zone where suitable zoning and resources are available. C. Construction and operation of the biorefinery. D. Documentation of system economics and technical operations. E. Testing of product biodiesel under ASTM certifications. F. Testing of product biodiesel under 40 CFR 79 Tier 1 requirements. G. Development and promotion of a national training program for small scale biodiesel refinery businesses. H. Promotion to the public of the advantages of biodiesel based transportation. Resources By Task All aspects of the Biodiesel Development Center will be operated with a team approach. A technical development team will plan and design the basic facility. The operation and documentation will be conducted with an Operator and a Manager. The education and outreach program will be operated by an education specialist, assisted by representatives of the other two groups. The production facility will operate as a for-profit business, while the educational programs will operate under a non-profit organization. Financial matching funds have been proffered by several private funding organizations, seeking a rate of return. Such private funding will be reduced as appropriate with the possible assistance of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Personnel Resumes Thomas S. Leue, B.A., R.S., President of Homestead Inc., located in Ashfield, MA. Homestead Inc. is an energy research and conservation company in existence since 1979. Past projects include hydroelectric development and cogeneration projects funded in part by the Massachusetts Energy Office, a successful solar-based municipal sewage treatment plant for Ashfield, and the current biodiesel refinery pilot project. Further information on current operations can be viewed at www.Yellowbiodiesel.com. M. Chandra Sekhar, President of Shukra Internationals Inc., located at 29-2350, Grand Ravine Dr., Oakville, ON. L6H 6E2, Canada, is an electrical engineer. He has diversified work experience as staff engineer in telecommunications industry, Quality Assurance analyst in software industry, industrial trainer as well as teaching professor at university level. He has been working in the financial world for the past ten years developing trading methods and systems for commodity & equity markets. He has been involved in alternative energy industry for the past three years and currently is working in association with Homestead Inc., to establish a biodiesel refinery in New York State. Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: http://archive.nnytech.net/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
