Even as the Europeans argue over the environmental impact of biofuels, it seems clear that alternative fuels not derived from petroleum are here to stay.
Independence Energy has begun marketing a micro refinery for biodiesel. Think hyper-local.
So why not make the fuel you need at home? Or perhaps participate in a community refinery, supplying it with home waste, such as cooking oils and food scraps?
Ok, so it seems a bit far-fetched at present. But for biofuels to make a dent in gasoline use, production has to be massive, widespread and conducted local to keep transportation costs low.
This hyper-local nature of the industry means that small-scale plants will have to be built in communities across the country and around the world. And source material will need to be found nearby, including grasses, forest waste, lumberyard scrap, even vegetable and food garbage from homes.
Independence Energy Company is making an early play for this market. The firm has begun marketing a $100,000 “micro” refinery that is designed to make 1,000 gallons of biodiesel a day. With government incentives, that plant’s actual cost could be lower.
The plant is designed to produce fuel in 500 gallon batches with two daily work shifts.
The company’s plan to create joint ventures with local producers in U.S., Asia, Africa and South America and then consult with owners to find local feedstock. It suggests this sourcing can be creative, such as fish oil from a fish processing plant, palm, castor beans, sunflowers, canola, camelina or jatropha.
In Europe, policy makers are trying to gauge the impact of large-scale biofuels farming on wetlands and tropical forests across the globe. The fear is that as agricultural land in developed countries is turned to biofuels, developing countries will clear cut more virgin land for farming.
With a move to hyper-local production, perhaps some of this conversion can be headed off before it begins.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
