Can Biofuel Replace Diesel?

An American company, U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp. (USSEC), has developed a patent-pending new biofuel manufacturing process that creates more than three times more biofuel per bushel of soybeans than any other comparable process. In addition, the company says its product is able to serve as a permanent replacement to diesel, without any of the negative traits associated with traditional biodiesel or other green fuel alternatives. "Our biofuel and energy processes provide a clear and direct advantage over petroleum products, with none of the challenges that have kept other green alternatives from being widely adopted," says CEO and Founder John Rivera. According to Rivera, the biofuel is created from all-renewable resources at a nominal cost as the byproduct of producing organic fertilizer from recycled waste products. This discovery was made during research into agricultural biomass now known as the "Rivera Process." The company claims its technology offers a partial solution to foreign oil dependence, does not contribute to global warming and also can be used to produce ethanol at a cost 30 percent to 35 percent less than other methods. The process According to USSEC, the technology uses a highly efficient process to break down vegetable feedstock, such as soybeans, and extract the most energy possible, so that nearly 100 percent of the feedstock results in three usable products: biogas, carbon ash and liquid biofuel. The company uses the biogas to provide 100 percent of the power for its manufacturing facility. Carbon ash is a rich natural fertilizer containing nitrogen, potash and orthophosphate that can be used to replenish the soil used to grow the feedstock. This organic fertilizer is renewable and sustainable and produced from 100 percent biomass. One bushel of bean yields 20 pounds of organic fertilizer, certified at 7-3-7. According to the company, the manufacturing process is a modified pyrolytic process with hydrolysis. Natural feedstocks and a proprietary catalyst are heated in a reactor to a relatively high temperature. The heating is performed below normal atmospheric temperature for a time sufficient to vaporize all oils and water from the feedstock, and also to allow the resultant chemical/mass transfer reactions to occur. The remaining solid is substantially dry carbon ash. The vapor extracted during the process is used to form two biofuels via condensation, while also recovering lighter gases that are non-condensable at atmospheric pressure. Are there advantages? The liquid biofuel produced by this process has a number of advantages over conventional biodiesel, says USSEC: It's cheaper to produce, and yields more biodiesel per bushel of soy, with higher energy output in less time. In addition, the company claims that when it comes to performance, its product excels. Testing shows that the resulting biofuel does not clog engine filters at temperatures as low as -70øF, and that it remains liquid and retains its ability to be pumped at temperatures down to -90øF. These features have plagued traditional petroleum diesel and conventional biodiesel products.