Clean-burning biodiesel looking forward to boom times
By Jim Jamieson
The Province
27-Jan-2006
B.C.'s biodiesel industry is entering a growth spurt that will see it booming by 2010, representatives from government and potential suppliers and investors were told at a Richmond workshop yesterday.
"The combination of the Kyoto Accord, the supply issue, security issues in other countries, all these things have come together to provide an opportunity for biodiesel," said Dennis Rogoza, president and CEO of Fleet Challenge Canada, a national organization established to reduce overall greenhouse-gas emissions from fleet vehicles.
Biodiesel is a biodegradable, clean burning alternative fuel produced from renewable sources such as used vegetable oils, animal fats and trap grease, and domestically produced oilseed crops such as soy, canola and hemp.
When blended with traditional diesel fuel, it reduces both greenhouse-gas and tailpipe emissions.
Biodiesel can be used in regular diesel engines without modifications. Traditional blends are five per cent (B5), 10 per cent (B10) or 20 per cent (B20).
Yesterday, Autogas Propane opened in North Delta what it said was the first multi-blended biodiesel dispenser in North America. There are two other retail outlets in B.C. -- in Burnaby and Port Alberni.
Currently, most of the biodiesel is imported from the U.S. About 40 fleets in B.C. are running biodiesel, comprising about 1,000 vehicles.
A major key to growth is establishing production plants in B.C., said Rogoza, but he added there are fuel-quality, pricing and distribution issues that need to be solved.
There are no production facilities in B.C., although one is expected to open shortly in Fernie.
Rid Bestwick of West Coast Biodiesel, a subsidiary of West Coast Reduction Ltd., said his company currently stores and distributes biodiesel and is looking to build a production plant in Vancouver within the next year.
Posted by Arthur Caldicott on 27 Jan 2006