Biodiesel station to pump dollars into farms

Trucking fleets and diesel vehicle owners in the Denver CO area will soon have a local source of biodiesel, a renewable vegetable oil-based fuel that could produce new revenues for regional farmers. Blue Sun Biodiesel and Shoco Oil Inc plan to open Denver's first retail biodiesel fueling station November 14 in Commerce City.

Blue Sun, which will supply Shoco Oil, is developing regional farmer cooperatives to produce biodiesel feedstock from crops adapted to arid high-plains growing conditions. Jeff Probst, president and chief executive officer of Blue Sun, says, "Planted in rotation with winter wheat, oilseed crops for biodiesel can provide additional revenue streams for local farmers and keep energy dollars here in our local communities where they belong."

Biodiesel offers health and environmental advantages over petroleum diesel, reducing particulate emissions, greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons. Producing biodiesel uses one unit of fossil energy and yields 3.2 units, giving it a higher energy balance than petroleum fuels or ethanol. Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines without modification.