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December 5, 2003

Manitoba studies biodiesel potential

By Ian Bell
Brandon bureau

The Manitoba government wants to know if biodiesel could fuel economic development while benefiting grain and livestock producers, as well as the environment.

The province has announced it is setting up an advisory council to investigate biodiesel potential.

There is small-scale production of biodiesel in the province, said Manitoba energy minister Tim Sale.

The advisory council is expected to look into whether there's potential to produce that fuel on a larger scale.

Manitoba agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk said biodiesel could present an opportunity for agriculture. It can be made from oilseeds such as canola and soy, as well as animal fat and used cooking oils from restaurants.

The possibilities intrigue Ernie Doerksen, general manager of the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

Canola growers have invested significant time and money supporting research on biodiesel's potential, he said. If it becomes a standard component of fuel in diesel-powered trucks, the added demand for canola could be large enough to drive expansion of the crop on the Prairies.

"For farmers, we are clearly looking for another market for canola."

According to the Manitoba government, diesel blended with 20 percent biodiesel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11 percent and unburned hydrocarbons by more than 21 percent.

Manitoba uses about 660 million litres of diesel in the transportation and agriculture sectors each year.

Even blended at two percent, biodiesel has been shown to improve fuel economy while reducing engine wear, said Doerksen, who was appointed by the province to co-chair the Manitoba biodiesel advisory council.

Among other things, the advisory council will attempt to pull together research on biodiesel and gauge the level of interest among potential users, such as the managers of public and private trucking fleets.

Sale said he will look for a clear message from the council on those issues by early spring.

He said one of the upsides of biodiesel is that it is simpler and less expensive to produce than ethanol. However, he wants to know the costs.

Bob Dolyniuk, general manager of the Manitoba Trucking Association, wants a comparison of the costs and benefits of using biodiesel versus conventional fuel.

He also has technical questions, such as what effects the use of biodiesel has on engines and whether engine manufacturers will honour warranties if the fuel is used.

"If you're talking about a $20-$30,000 engine, you want to make sure there's a warranty behind it."

Another question, said Dolyniuk, who co-chairs the advisory council, is what blend is most appropriate for summer driving versus winter driving. Biodiesel tends to thicken in colder weather, which reduces its use in winter.

"When we're hauling products that are perishable and high value, we can't afford to have equipment stop functioning in the middle of nowhere," Dolyniuk said.

Sale said more biodiesel production might benefit the livestock industry by using animal fat from rendering plants, which saw a drop in demand for rendered ruminant products this year because of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis.

Screenings from seed cleaning plants might also find a good fit, he said.
 

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