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Colorado awards biodiesel grants |
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Wednesday, 28 January 2009 |
 The Bush Administration in the United States has tried to encourage the development of alternative fuels like biodiesel in a quest to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports.
Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly fuel that emits 70% less carbon dioxide and sulphur compared to regular diesel. It can utilize renewable feedstock like palm oil, animal fats and waste products.
The state of Colorado is one such state in the US. The Colorado Agricultural Value Added Development Board has awarded Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy (ACRE) grants to institutions with biodiesel projects.
Administered by the Department of Agriculture, ACRE awarded $100,000 to the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (iCast) in Lakewood. iCast is working to establish two oilseed crushing and biodiesel facilities.
Raphael Shay, Sustainability Project Manager for iCast said one of the facilities will be at a feedlot in Stratton, Colo.
The facility is expected to be operational this summer and will produce 100,000 gallons of biodiesel per year, said Shay. The glycerin byproduct might be diluted with wastewater and prayed on to fields, he said, or might be used as a feed additive.
The location for the second facility has not been finalized, said Shay.
The Colorado State University Golden Plains Area Extension Service obtained the second ACRE grant of $50,000, to be used to evaluate how energy crops should be rotated on northeastern Colorado dryland farms.
“What we're trying to do is take the potential renewable energy crops — whether its biodiesel, ethanol, or cellulosic sources — and see how they fit into a cropping sequence,” said Alan Helm, area extension agent for CSU. “Which crops follow which best? Which crops don't follow?" THE END. |
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