Sanger is home to the valley’s first biodiesel facility

By Len Wilcox
Special to the Sanger Herald

The first commercial production facility for biodiesel in the central valley will be in Sanger, and is expected to be operational by August, according to Walt Bacharowski, President of Silicon Valley Biodiesel.

"The plant will have an initial capacity of 1.2 million gallons per year, and when we are in full production, 7 million gallons," Bacharowski said.

Biodiesel is a substitute fuel for petroleum diesel, manufactured from vegetable oil, and most diesel vehicles will have little or no problem using it.  No conversion is necessary.

"Cars and trucks actually run better on biodiesel," according to Bacharowski.  "It is a low sulfur diesel, with higher lubricity, so injectors get lubricated better. And it provides lower CO and hydrocarbon emissions, so the air is cleaner."

Formulating biodiesel is a comparatively simple process, according to Bacharowski, which he compares to making shampoo.  "This is not a refinery, it is a chemical process which mixes vegetable oil with an alkali and other chemicals to make diesel fuel," he said.  "It is done in a closed system, following all the appropriate safety precautions to make the product."  Commercial grade hand soap is a byproduct of biodiesel production.

Newer vehicles should have no problem using biodiesel, however, older vehicles may need a new fuel filter, and may need old fuel lines replaced.  "There is a solvent effect.  Any accumulated material in the fuel tank might be flushed, so with an older, high mileage vehicle, the fuel filter may get clogged in the first few tankfuls." 

Also, the solvent effect may soften rubber fuel lines.  Newer diesel vehicles use Neoprene or Viton fuel lines, which are not affected by the use of biodiesel.

The plant will initially use waste restaurant grease to make its biodiesel, but Bacharowski foresees buying byproducts of crops already grown in the valley to get the vegetable oil he needs.

"We want to use underutilized natural oil resources," according to Bacharowski.  The company is focusing on secondary uses of existing crops for its raw material.  Aside from the kind of vegetable oil used by restaurants, or available in the supermarket, rice bran oil, cottonseed oil, or canola oil would work fine.  Grapeseed oil could also be used.

Canola particularly interests Bacharowski, as the vegetable removes selenium from the soil.  Canola could be grown on the west side where selenium has tainted the soil to the point it cannot be used for growing food products. 

The plant will be located in Sanger’s Kings River Industrial Park.  The company is planning to eventually build plants in other areas of the state.

"We found the city of Sanger and the Fresno County Industrial Development Commission very easy to work with, and very helpful," according to Toni Pacini, Purchasing Manager for the company.  The company was going to start their first plan in San Jose, but found the central valley a better location for supply and demand.

While Biodiesel seems like a new concept, it isn’t.  According to Bacharowski, the technology was developed and used during World War II, primarily to manufacture glycerin.  Biodiesel is available in much of Europe today, where more than 1/3 of the automobiles in use are diesel powered.

Source: Sanger Herald

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