Cullman residents may soon have an alternative to high-priced gasoline available close by. Governor Bob Riley announced this week one of four new biofuel filling stations will be located on Supersaver Road in Cullman. However, moving crops from the farm to the fuel tank has its advantages and its downsides as the benefits of cleaner-burning domestic fuel compare with increased corn costs, expensive vehicle modifications and market uncertainties.

<h1>What is biofuel?</h1>

The term biofuel refers to several types of petroleum alternatives that are made through processing renewable products, whether those be organic waste or fresh-from-the-farm produce. Today, two of the most popular biofuels on the market are biodiesel and E85, or corn ethanol.

Currently there are several biodiesel plants online and planned for Alabama.

The National Biodiesel Board defines the produce as a “clean-burning alternative fuel” which contains no petroleum. The fuel is biodegradable and nontoxic and is primarily made from vegetable oils.

Biodiesel advocates claim several benefits of using biodiesel. First, the product is made from waste grease and oils Americans discard daily. Since Riley’s announcement, the City of Hoover has begun accepting residents’ used cooking oil to be converted into biodiesel fuel.

Also, the fuel is relatively cheap to make. It costs anywhere from 70 cents to 78 cents per gallon to make biodiesel.

The U.S. Department of Energy promotes the use of biodiesel not only for its renewable properties but for its environmental benefits. According to the department, the combustion of both biodiesel and bioethanol results in less carbon monoxide emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is thought to be one of the causes behind global warming.

From a consumer standpoint, one of the biggest advantages of burning biodiesel is the fact most diesel engines can burn biodiesel with little or no modifications.

Bioethanol, or E85, is a gasoline alternative made of alcohol. The production of ethanol is similar to the distilling process used to make beer. Current technology uses corn ground into a fine mash that is then fermented to create fuel.

Ethanol is not exactly a new technology. Gasoline retailers have mixed ethanol with gasoline since the late 1980s to replace toxic octane boosters.

"The primary advantage of ethanol is that it improves combustion of hydrocarbons," said Clark Midkiff, Director for the Center of Advanced Vehicle Technology and professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama.

"Ethanol is an octane improver. It replaces lead and MTBE that are added to gasoline."

The Safe Drinking Water Act mandated that MTBE be omitted from petroleum because it pollutes ground water. As a substitute, most gasoline providers have introduced a 10 percent ethanol/gasoline blend that meets government environmental standards.

Like petroleum, ethanol production results in byproducts that can be used and sold to offset the cost of production. The main byproduct of ethanol is distilled grain that is sold to farmers for use as livestock feed.

Unlike fossil fuels, ethanol does not release sulfur or other chemicals into the environment when it is burned that contribute to acid rain or smog. However, burning ethanol does release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas that is believed to promote global warming.

"Ethanol is a net-sequester of carbon dioxide," Duane Johnson, associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Alabama said. "The environment will gain about 30 percent more carbon dioxide from ethanol than from burning gasoline."

The carbon dioxide released by burning ethanol will not remain in the atmosphere as excess but will be absorbed by plants and crops used in ethanol production throughout their photosynthesis processes.

"Everybody tries to reduce emissions, but I'd rather have emissions from burning ethanol in the environment over the release of carcinogens like benzene from burning gasoline," Johnson said. According to Argonne National Laboratory, the use of 10 percent ethanol blends reduces the amount of harmful emissions by 12 to 19 percent, which is the equivalent to removing over 1.18 million cars from the road.

As the use of ethanol in transportation increases, the rate of pollution in the United States should drastically decrease. Midkiff said the widespread adoption of biofuels for public use is still a long way off as ethanol production requires more agricultural resources than are presently available.

<h1>Impact on Cullman farmers</h1>

Cullman County is one of the state’s leading producers of corn. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show Cullman farmers planted 3,300 acres of corn and harvested 2,000 acres, producing 108,000 bushels in 2006. A typical yield was 54 bushels per acre.

“Based on the figures from 2004, we have seen an increase in corn production, possibly due to potential for demand for ethanol and higher prices,” Charles Pinkston of the Cullman County Extension Office said.

The cost of corn rose to nearly $4 a bushel in 2007, but Pinkston said the extreme drought and harsh weather early in the year will probably keep most farmers from cashing in.

While the increased demand for corn and the high price of the crop is a good thing for corn farmers, the county is also home to cattle farmers who rely on corn to feed their livestock.

"Ethanol production is consuming 20 percent of the nation's corn, which drives up the prices of corn syrup and products that use it, farmers' feed...the price of corn is going up," Johnson said.

"(Ethanol production) is pulling very hard on our corn supply," Auburn University professor and biofuels expert Dr. David Bransby said earlier this year. "I think we have to be very careful."

In 2004, the Department of Agriculture determined most ethanol production facilities yield 2.8 gallons of ethanol per bushel of corn. Midkiff said even if the public responds well to a wider availability of biofuels, there is no way the state’s, or even the world’s, farmers could supply enough crops for production.

"Even if we planted the entire earth with crops, there's no way we can produce enough biofuel to meet the world's demands," Midkiff said. "There are limitations."

<h1>Cullman County drivers</h1>

Gasoline prices continue to skyrocket as America’s dependence on foreign oil continues. With expanded availability of biodiesel and E85, many hope a new era in renewable fuels is on the horizon. However, high corn and ethanol costs and expensive vehicle modifications could still keep consumers away from the E85 pumps.

While modern Flex Fuel vehicles are made to process E85, not every automobile is fitted with the ability to run on an 85-percent-ethanol-blend fuel.

“Flex Fuel (E85) is highly corrosive and causes corrosion in fuels tanks,” said Mark Rutherford, general sales manager of Classic Oldsmobile-Cadillac-Jeep Eagle in Cullman. “To convert a car to run on E85, you’d have to change out the entire fuel tank and pump assembly, fuel lines, and install all new injection components,” he said. “We’re talking $5,000 to $6,000 to make a conversion...I just can’t see anyone picking up enough in savings.”

Classic Automotive’s service department manager Michelle Patrum said currently her department does not do Flex Fuel conversions but her department can do maintenance on the new line of Flex Fuel models carried on the dealership’s lot.

“ Right now we have 2007 and 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Jeep Commanders that can run on Flex Fuels,” Rutherford said. “Flex Fuel capability is optional. You have to have get a model with a 4.7 liter V-8 engine. But then it’s a no-cost option.”

Eckenrod Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Cullman also offers several Flex Fuel models on its lot.

“We have an F-150, Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car that are Flex Fuel capable,” manager Rick Raybon said. Raybon and Rutherford both said they have started seeing more customers interested in Flex Fuel vehicles and both expect to see an increase in interest once the new E85 pump comes online in Cullman this spring.

“We’re starting to see some people looking for (Flex Fuel capable vehicles),” Rutherford said. “Our biggest thing is that there is not a lot Flex Fuel availability. I really think that (the local E85 pump) will make a difference. I think everyone is aware of the situation, especially as far as oil prices go.”

“I think we’ll begin carrying and selling more Flex Fuel vehicles after the E85 station is put in,” Raybon said.

Rutherford said the most inhibitive part of Flex Fuels is the cost.

“Flex Fuel is not an alternative to get savings,” he said. “The benefit to Flex Fuel is that it kind of keeps our dependency on foreign fuel down and keeps our dependency down on oil companies, which would keep oil prices under control.”

According to AAA’s fuel gauge report, the national average cost of regular unleaded gasoline Saturday was $2.969 per gallon. The cost of E85 was $2.411 a gallon. However, E85 releases less energy per gallon than gasoline, and therefore drivers get fewer miles per gallon of ethanol. The Energy Information Administration expresses units of energy in British Thermal Units, or BTUs. Because ethanol releases almost 25 percent fewer BTUs by volume than gasoline, drivers will have to fill up more frequently. The BTU-adjusted price of E85 was actually $3.172 a gallon.

Bransby said as long as ethanol is made from such a high-demand product, like corn, the cost of production will keep the cost high for consumers. He said instead American ethanol producers should look to other, less expensive starch products, like switchgrass, to make ethanol.

For the last 30 years, Brazil has led the ethanol industry by producing biofuel from sugar cane. The refining process is cleaner and cheaper, but the United States currently imports more sugar cane than it produces, making the crop insufficient for ethanol production.