More than 100 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Navy's first mini refinery that converts used restaurant oil into biodiesel fuel. "If successful, mini-refineries could begin popping up on Navy bases across the country to help the military meet tougher smog rules," said Kurt Buehler, project engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) in Port Hueneme, CA. Buehler presided over the October 30, 2003 dedication of the biodiesel refinery - the first ever to be located at a U.S. military installation.
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| From left: Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, Ventura County supervisors Kathy Long and Linda Parks, NFESC Commanding Officer Captain W.J. Beary, Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, NFESC Engineer and FLC Far West Regional Coordinator Kurt Buehler, Biodiesel Industries, Inc. CEO Russ Teall, Port Hueneme Mayor Jonathan Sharkey, Naval Base Ventura County Commanding Officer Captain Paul S. Grossgold, Central Coast Biotechnology Center Director James Harber. |
The biodiesel demonstration validation effort is being executed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NFESC and Biodiesel Industries, Inc. The demonstration validation effort is sponsored and approved by the Navy Pollution Prevention Equipment Program. Buehler was also requested to present the effort to acting Secretary of the Navy, H.T. Johnson, and it was well received.
Joe Jobe, executive director of the National Biodiesel Board, called the pilot project a groundbreaking event. Jobe, who flew in from the board's Missouri headquarters for the event, said it was appropriate that the refinery was at a California military base. California is the nation's largest agricultural producer and could lead the way in planting crops, such as rapeseed or soybeans that produce oils for biodiesel.
The "mini refinery" itself could fit into the back of a pickup truck and looks like one of those microbreweries popping up in trendy pubs. But the Navy has big plans for its little refinery. Collecting used cooking oil generated by restaurants on the base, NFESC and Biodiesel Industries, Inc., expect to demonstrate that the military can easily convert this used cooking oil into cleaner burning biodiesel fuel. Normally the used cooking oil is a solid waste that has to be disposed of.
Port Hueneme engineers plan to produce the alternative fuel in 200-gallon batches. In the first year, they will test about 60,000 gallons on base vehicles, and distribute 20,000 more each to the National Park Service and Ventura County's local government.
The agencies will test the product on government fleets and report back to Kurt Buehler. While actual production will be relatively minimal, the study is expected to demonstrate that a small refinery could produce up to 1 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
Several dignitaries attended the ribbon cutting event, including three Ventura County supervisors; Assemblywoman Fran Pavley; the base's commanding officer, Capt. Paul S. Grossgold, and Capt. William J. Beary, who heads the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center.
Contact Kurt Buehler 805-982-4897