Sunday, January 18, 2004
Dear Keith: Thank you for your thoughtful reply. When I joined the list, I did not understand that the list was intended primarily (or only) for the home brew hobbyists. It is good that you have done a very great service to that audience. I understand your view that the commercialization of the process is beyond your time and resources. Again, the list has provided me with many valuable insights into processing biofuel, for which I thank you and the other contributors. If there is a commercial oriented, biofuel list, please give me the URL. Since many an enterprise has started in the owner's garage, the list is of considerable value to getting that audience up to speed on the basics. However, there comes a point where profit is important if biofuel production is to take root and grow in America as a viable alternative fuel (or additive). I am at that point -- wanting to go commercial, but not convinced that I know all of the parts and process necessary for a profitable operation. Before going commercial I will need to have a complete roadmap, including a very detailed cookbook. If none exists, I need to know that so that I can then turn my efforts toward creating my own cookbook. In fact I am now enrolled in Montana State University and pursuing a BS in microbiology in order to better formulate not only the reactions, but to develop greater understanding of the entire process, including refining of glycerol into 99.5% USP glycerine. Please do not take my comments as complaints -- they are not. I am searching for answers, the same as most of the list members. One of my concerns is that if some of the home brewers do not "graduate" into commercial applications, the field will be exclusively occupied by the big companies. Baker Commodities is collection waste oils from restaurants in Belgrade, MT (and most of the northwest), taking them to Spokane where the company is in the process of building a biodiesel refinery. Once Baker Commodities accomplishes this feat, it will tend to prevent or make more difficult any other commercial startups, simply because Baker Commodities has control over the supply of feed stock. In time, the large companies could obtain such strong, exclusive control over the WVO, that even home brewers will have difficulty obtaining free feed stock. It is thus for the benefit of the home brewers and the entry level commercial wannabes, that somehow, some of us start on the path to commercialization. I would not like to see that by default, only the large corporations dominate the biofuel market. Shortly after crude oil was first discovered in the U.S. and made into gas in the northeast and midlands of the US, there were hundreds of oil companies. Now there are a few. Consolidation works against the interest of the consumer. We have a chance to develop and maintain great diversity of biofuel production if we -- the small producers -- can ever get organized. Part of fulfilling that need is to obtain a competent, very carefully written cookbook for the small producer, regardless of whether profit is the main motive or only a collateral motive. It is not the motive (profit or non-profit) that is important, but our willingness to develop alternative fuel in the form of biodiesel on a small scale, widely distributed basis. The biofuel list, regardless of whether it is "biz" or "non-biz" could be the source or at least the distributor of the cookbook. If the source, royalties could help with the expenses and prolong the life of the list and make life easier for the list maintainer(s). Profit will drive not only the business, but provide funds (by way of contributions) to support efforts such as Journey to Forever. Even NPO's need to make "profits" (excess of income over expenses) in order to survive and grow. Thanks again for your positive comments. Best Regards, Jim Miller [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuels-biz/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
