US Biodiesel production to reach 900M gallons in 2007.

[NNadir]

Doris De Guzman/New York

The rapid pace of global biodiesel growth is expected to produce several negative scenarios on the fats and oils market, according to John Baize, president of agricultural trading consultancy John C. Baize & Associates.

Skyrocketing biodiesel capacity will drive vegetable oil prices higher, and cause a significant glut of protein meals, Baize said in his keynote speech presented last week at the annual American Fats and Oils Association Meeting in New York.

Current operational US biodiesel capacity is around 480.6m gallons/year, which could consume 1.66m tonnes of fats and oils at full capacity utilization. Capacity is estimated at 900m gallons/ear by the end of 2007, which would use 3.1 tonnes of fats and oils as feedstock, an equivalent to 28% of total US vegetable oil use in 2005/06...

...It would take 95% of US annual vegetable consumption, an equivalent of 10.7 tonnes, just to supply 5% of US annual diesel demand, adds Baize...

Transcribed from ICIS Chemical Business October 23-29, 2006, Page 7.

For reference, 900M gallons of biodiesel is about 21M barrels, equivalent to about a day and a half of US oil imports at the rate imported last week.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_wkly_dc_NUS-Z00_mbblpd_w.htm

If we ban McDonald's french fries and other nasty unhealthy fried foods entirely, biodiesel could easily provide as much as ten days of US oil imports.

[TheMadMonk]

1. Or three gallons each.

Or roughly thirteen gallons per houshold.

Or IIRC about six gallons, or 100 miles per automobile.

IF total production is reserved for use in private people movers and none allocated to public transport, the transport of freight, power generation or other industrial use.


Relying on (or crowing about) Bio-diesel as a primary energy source is nothing more than envionmental masturbation. Except for applications localised around the point of production, bio-diesel is about as useful as repapering the walls whilst shoveling roof slates out of the cellar.


It is going to take a synergistic combination of a multitude of "solutions" to address the worlds, energetic and climactic woes.

One I have come across in articles reporting on pilot studies/experiments, but have not seen in the real world is plasma arc reduction of landfill. It appears to have a beautiful double/triple/multiple whammy: Energy production; waste volume reduction; pollutant destruction/fixing; there is even the potential to "mine" the resultant slag.

Wave, tide, wind, convective towers, photo-voltaic, solar-thermal, nuclear, geothermal, hydrothermal. They (and others) are all going to have to do their part as primary energy sources. Sources which will directly supply fixed energy consumers and through some medium (storage cells, hydrogen) mobile/off grid applications.

[greenman3610]

2. it's appropriate that a multitude of energy sources become viable

a sustainable, flexible energy system will rely on
a wide variety of solutions unique to different
regions.
Biofuels can have an impact, particularly if
we move toward a fleet of much more
efficient, flexible fuel vehicles.
More efficient means of production are in
the works, using a much wider variety of
feedstocks. With biofuels, every feedlot, sewage plant, and
farm can become a net producer of energy.
Expansion of wind and solar
will make the roof of every house, every mall and big
box store, every parking lot another positive
node in the system.

[kestrel91316]

3. What - you have some sort of problem with putting all our eggs

in some other basket? You know, 'cause the petroleum "basket" has worked out SO WELL.......

Sheesh. Why do you hate America?

[Massacure]

4. Algae research is going to be a key step to biofuel production.

Transportation is pretty much screwed without it come peak oil.