Bently Agrowdynamics - News | A Bently Family Company

Bently Ventures into Biofuels

07 April 2004 — Using a traditional Midwest crop and waste vegetable oil from area restaurants, Bently Agrowdynamics plans to mass produce an alternative fuel by the end of this year.

The company, owned by Douglas County multi-millionaire Don Bently, has had a natural program in agriculture-related endeavors for nearly 30 years. The company includes 38,000 acres of land and reservoirs for the production of alfalfa, small grains, and cattle.

In the late 1990's , Bently ventured into the business of composting -- working up to 30,000 tons annually, with only 1 percent sold retail.

By the end of 2006, General Manager and Professional Engineer Jim Usher predicts the company will have up to 6,000 acres of irrigated farm land.

"We've become very efficient at composting," said Usher. "It's become our primary fertilizer.

"The division is so efficient it almost runs itself."

Two years ago, Bently had Usher start researching alternative fuels.

Don Bently "has, in his lifetime, been dealing with energy and he has a lot of insight," Usher said. "He feels it’s an ideal time to get away from foreign fuels from oil wells.

Initially, Usher and his team, Ken Waldram, biofuels manager, and Patti Bently, technician, (whose husband's uncle is Don Bently), looked into methane. But storage was a problem because methane is a very light gas that is difficult to handle. However, manufacture of liquid methane is becoming more important.

"It would require a lot of work to store it," Usher said.

The group "stumbled" on a biodiesel project that uses vegetable oils (for instance canola) and animal fats as feedstock to power diesel engines. Biodiesel is as biodegradable as sugar. Yellowstone National Park has been using biodiesel in its vehicles since 1998.

"It can be used in a regular diesel engine without modification," Waldram said. "It is easy to make. Safe. Non-toxic and cleanburning." And all energy comes from sunlight.

Bently Agrowdynamics consumes approximately 200,000 gallon of diesel fuel in its trucks and equipment annually. The biodiesel already being used in Bently equipment is exempt from federal regulations because it is not used on public roads. Usher suspects more stringent regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency within a few years.

A Mercedes at Bently Agrowdynamics runs on straight biodiesel produced on-site. The team is making up to 100 gallons of biodiesel a week. (The process converts 80-90% of the waste vegetable oil to biodiesel.)

They expect to use more straight biodiesel in the near future. "We plan to use 100 percent," Waldram said. "At this point 20 percent is common for most users."

The goal is to produce 300,000 gallons per year.

To make biodiesel, Bently Agrowdynamics is growing its own canola plants. Usually found in the Dakotas and Idaho, canola looks a lot like mustard plants.

"The canola plants are like a little solar panel, converting sunlight to seeds, which are then used to make fuel." Usher said.

Waldram is gathering a cache of area restaurants to provide the waste vegetable oil and bacon drippings, including the Carson Valley Inn in Minden.

"We actually pay them for their waste," he said.

The chemistry is technical but glycerin is a by-product of the process. Glycerin is used extensively in cosmetics, soaps, etc.

"We don't know quite yet what to do with it (glycerin). It needs to be refined," said Waldram. "We are looking at whether to (refine it) or sell it."

As for the canola, which is 30-35 percent oil in each seed, Bently Agrowdynamics is researching ways to efficiently extract the oil for the biodiesel program. Each acre of canola produces 400 gallons of oil. The rest of the seed becomes canola meal to feed livestock.

"It's still fairly new technology," Usher said.

Testing of the final biodiesel is done at the Bently-owned Bently Tribiology Service.

They hope to produce it for $1-2 per gallon before taxes. Ethanol is now heavily subsidized; biodiesel is not. The Bently group doesn’t favor government subsidies, but will take advantage of a biodiesel subsidies when they are offered.

"What excites me is that it is recyclable," Usher said.

Bently Agrowdynamics - Progressive and sustainable agricultural practices with crop, cattle, and compost production - A Bently Family Company.

Bently Ventures into Biofuels