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AARC 



Alternative Agricultural Research & Commercialization Center 



Nebraska Farmer Co-op Studies 

 'Biodieser Options 



For the 300,000 Midwest farmers and 

 ranchers who own Ag Processing Inc., 

 the world's largest soybean processing 

 co-op, "biodiesel" is the fuel of the future. 

 To make sure that crop-based, renewable, 

 environmentally friendly fuels achieve their 

 promise as quickly as possible, Ag Processing 

 is launching a major study to determine the 

 best technology for producing biofuels. 



In support of this farmer-driven re- 

 search initiative, the Alternative Agricultural 

 Research and Commercialization Center, a 

 branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

 has committed $36,000 to the search. 



Ag Processing's objective is to build on 

 its present strengths in vegetable oil refining 

 by expanding into biodiesel production. The 

 co-op, which operates eight soybean pro- 

 cessing plants in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota 

 and Missouri, sees major new soybean-oil 

 markets opening up as a result of legislation 

 such as the 1988 Alternative Motor Fuels 

 Act, the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1992 

 National Energy Policy Act. Collectively, this 

 legislation represents a congressional deter- 

 mination to reduce U.S. dependence on 

 imported, non-renewable petroleum and 

 increase the use of domestically produced, 

 cleaner-burning, renewable fuels made from 

 crops such as soybeans and other oilseeds. 



Ag Processing's initial goal is to identi- 

 fy the best procedures for turning vegetable 

 oils into fuel. To solve the problem of the 

 vegetable oils' high viscosity, which causes a 

 number of engine problems, four basic meth- 

 ods are used today: 



^ dilution with petroleum diesel 



fuel or a variety of solvents, 

 ^ microemulsification with an 



alcohol such as methanol or 



ethanol, 

 ^ p)Tolysis or "cracking" with heat, 

 ^ transesterification with alcohols which results in less viscous fatty 



glycerol as a marketable by-product. 



Studies so far indicate that transesterification, as used commercially in Europe, or microemulsifica- 

 tion may be the most efficient methods. Higher cost remains the overriding obstacle to increased use of 

 biodiesel, but this barrier is expected to change as both oilseed yields and processing teclinology improve. 



USOA-AARC CENTER • 12th & C St. S.W. • Washington, DC 20250 

 Telephone: (202) 401-4860 • Fax: (202) 401-6068 



Pnnted on recycled paper using soybean-based ink 



lUustrauon Dy Ed Coumer 



Ag Processing Inc., NE 



Sponsor's Contact: William Lester, (402) 496-7809 



Raw Material: Soybeans 



Product: Study to Help Determine the Best 



Available Technology for the 

 Production of Biodiesel 



AARC: 



Cooperators Contributions (est.) 



$36,000 

 $ 9,000 



esters suitable as fuel and 



