Willie Nelson’s BioWillie goes to market
Not everyone in Texas believes fuel has to be made out of hydrocarbons
Dallas, Texas – April 3rd, 2006 – Forty percent of the gas stations in the United States carry diesel fuel. Right now the United States has some of the dirtiest diesel fuel in the world. That is, according to the EPA, supposed to change before the end of 2006. Shell Oil Company is a 50 percent owner of Motiva Enterprises LLC, along with Saudi Refining, Inc.
Motiva Enterprises LLC refines, distributes, and markets branded products through branded stations in the Eastern and Southern United States. Motiva is believed to be the first major terminal operator to provide a service that allows a driver to stop at one terminal and load a blended fuel.
Distribution Drive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Earth Biofuels Inc. (OTCBB:EBOF.OB) announced today that terminal-blended biodiesel is now available to their customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Earth Biofuels, the producer of the biodiesel, is 100 percent owned by Apollo Resources.
Tanker trucks can now load biodiesel fully blended with petrodiesel at the Motiva Enterprises terminal in Dallas, which eliminates the need for two stops and reduces transportation costs traditionally associated with the distribution of biodiesel blends.
Terminal blending is a time and mileage saving breakthrough for fuel trucks that would otherwise have to make two stops, one to pick up biodiesel and one to pick up diesel. Terminal blending also eliminates splash blending in the truck by having the ability to store, mix and load the two fuels in one location and ensures correct blending of the products, providing a consistently high quality of the finished product.
Distribution Drive had Additive Systems Inc. (ASI) install a 30,000-gallon biodiesel tank to store pure (B100) biodiesel at the terminal. This heated tank is connected with heat-traced pipes to the terminal’s diesel loading rack and integrates specially designed blending equipment with Motives existing measurement systems. As fuel tank trucks fill at the loading rack, ASIs specialized blending equipment reliably blends pure (B100) biodiesel with petrodiesel supplied from Motivas diesel storage tanks.” Piloting biodiesel distribution at our terminal helps to position Motiva to effectively meet the needs of our customers as their demands evolve,” said Dan Grinstead, General Manager of Distribution for Motiva Enterprises LLC, a refining, distribution, and fuels marketing company. ” We are very pleased to work with Distribution Drive and Additive Systems.”
Soya Methyl Ester (SME), or soybean oil, RME, or rapeseed methyl ester is the technical name for biodiesel made from rapeseed, or canola, oil, which is used in Europe. Through the process of transesterification, the large, branched triacylglycerol molecules of the oil feedstock are altered to become smaller, unbranched methyl ester molecules, which are comparable in size to the components of classic diesel fuel.
SME and RME offer enhanced lubricity and cetane, plus similar horsepower and torque when compared to petroleum diesel. Because plant-based feedstock crops absorb CO2 as they grow, the lifecycle of biodiesel fuel can be up to 85% CO2 neutral. SME contains oxygen which reduces particulate matters in the emissions when blended with conventional diesel.
The Clean Cities Program, the Texas Soybean Association and the National Biodiesel Board have all provided support for the project in the form of a grant issued by Clean Cities in 2005. Mindy Mize of North Texas Clean Cities says, ” Offering terminally blended biodiesel is a great leap forward in the effort to reduce our nation’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.”
Distribution Drive customers and distributors in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can now offer different percentages of the biodiesel/diesel fuel mixture to retail outlets, such as Loves Travel Stops and Country Stores, so biodiesel blends like BioWillie can be made available to truckers and other diesel-powered vehicle owners at easily accessible retail outlets throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
According to Earth Biofuels, BioWillie is a clean-burning diesel fuel replacement, made from vegetable oil seeds that are grown by American farmers. BioWillie biodiesel fuel can help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, provides superior lubricity and reduces harmful emissions emitted from diesel engines. Diesel engines do not need modifications to use BioWillie and retail outlets can offer the product at their location without any modification to their existing diesel dispensing equipment.
BioWillie grew out of Willie Nelson’s passion for helping the family farmer and his drive to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Willie Nelson and Peter Bell of Distribution Drive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Earth Biofuels, developed the BioWillie brand for the trucking industry. Several retail outlets carry the BioWillie brand, including two Loves Travel Stop locations in the Dallas area. Willie uses 100 percent biodiesel, whenever he can, in his tour bus.
” Loves Travel Stops and Country Stores started offering BioWillie in two locations near Dallas and the response has been tremendous,” said Mike Brakefield, Director of Fuel Distribution at Loves Travel Stops and Country Stores. ” Motivas decision to provide infrastructure for biodiesel at the same terminal where our Gemini fuel trucks are loading diesel fuel ensures that the Loves supply chain remains efficient and helps keep fuel costs down for our customers.”
Earth Biofuels is the exclusive distributor of the BioWillie brand of biodiesel, which is Willie Nelson’s trademark fuel. ” Biodiesel is the future,” said Willie Nelson. ” Our family farmers can grow our fuel right here at home, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and at the same time providing a clean-burning fuel for America’s truckers.”
” Motiva and Loves are truly leaders in supporting clean-burning fuels,” said Tommy Johnson, Director of Earth Biofuels. ” We are thrilled to work with these industry leaders in making BioWillie available to truckers and other diesel customers.”
Most vehicles made after 1994 will have fully synthetic fuel lines and seals. Biodiesel acts as a solvent and will clean your injectors and fuel lines. If you use biodiesel, plan to change your oil and possibly fuel lines after the first couple of times.
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