Christian Aucoin does not consider himself an environmentalist, although he is part of one of the fastest growing renewable fuel industries in the country. “I’m a free-market capitalist more than anything,” said Aucoin, chief operations officer of United Biofuels. “It’s my own personal mission to look at this not only from the environmental standpoint, but also from the economic and social standpoints.” Aucoin and three partners founded United Biofuels, Inc. in York, Penn. to produce biodiesel fuel, a renewable fuel source made from vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel can be used alone or blended with conventional diesel fuel to run diesel engines. Biofuels are environmentally friendly because they burn cleaner than diesel fuel. There are few biodiesel plants in Louisiana. Vanguard Synfuels is located in Pollock, north of Alexandria, and started operating in April 2006. It produces 15 million gallons per year from soybean oil. Renewable Energy Group is building a plant in St. Rose that will be able to produce more than 310 million gallons of biodiesel a year by the end of 2008. A new $126 million refinery will begin production in 2010 to turn chicken fat and other agricultural waste into biodiesel and jet fuel. Geismar’s Lion Copolymer plant was proposed by Dyanmic Fuels as part of a venture between Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp. Ethanol is another fuel that can be produced from renewable resources such as corn, although there is little corn-based ethanol produced in Louisiana. “There are other types of alternative fuels that do make sense for Louisiana,” said Jerry Spivey, chemical engineering professor. Spivey said a wide range of biomass, including byproducts from sugar cane processing, can be gasified and converted into ethanol using special catalysts. Spivey is working with colleagues in the Department of Energy, Clemson University, Oak Ridge National Lab and Conoco-Phillips under a $2.6 million grant to develop catalysts for this type of process. After graduating from the University in 2001 with a degree in chemical engineering, Aucoin worked for Shell Oil in New Orleans for three years. He is now a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City. Aucoin said he thought about going into the biodiesel field after meeting a group of Columbia students who were “biodiesel hobbyists.” Aucoin said they used pizza grease from a parlor near Columbia’s campus to make fuel. The group decided to enter a business plan in the Columbia Organization for Rising Entrepreneurs competition in the spring of 2005, although they had no business experience. While they did not win, their plan succeeded. Aucoin said they were inspired to show Columbia that they were good enough to successfully launch the business. Aucoin said permit issues and prohibitively high costs made it difficult to base the company in New York City. An economics major at Columbia suggested his hometown, York, as a possible location for the plant. “We had a meeting with the mayor of York, and he was keen on it and ready to sign a contract that day,” Aucoin said. Aucoin said he used his experience from LSU and Shell Oil to help design the plant. “We learned how to weld pipes and drive a crane and did it all ourselves in a matter of three months,” he said. Aucoin said a Columbia engineer would probably not be able to design a pump. “They don’t know how to put it all together, and that’s one of the things that LSU really stresses,” Aucoin said. “Columbia has some really great research engineers but not really great plant engineers.” Spivey said chemical engineering is one of the best degree programs for students interested in going into the biofuel industry because the production of biodiesel fuel is a chemical reaction. He said the University has undergraduate laboratories where students are taught hands-on concepts, which is common at most universities. “What may be a little unusual about LSU is its very strong ties to local industry,” Spivey said. He said undergraduate internships at local plants give the University to chemical engineering students valuable experience not available in other parts of the country. The United Biofuels plant was built in January 2006 and started production in April. “As far as permitting and regulations go, it isn’t that hard anywhere you are as long as you talk to the right people,” Aucoin said. “People think it’s a lot more difficult than it actually is.” Aucoin said he went to the library and read Pennsylvania code books before calling officials to explain his requests. United Biofuels started off production at a rate of half a million gallons of biofuel per year and has recently expanded to produce 4 million gallons a year. The plant produces fuel from soybean oil feed-stock. Aucoin said for the past five years and probably the next 100, he sees an interweaving of energy, environmental and social responsibility issues. He said it is interesting to see that it is “no longer just about getting oil out of the ground.” United Biofuels recently hired Benjamin Caire, 2005 chemical engineering graduate, to help with the expansion process. Spivey said not many graduates go into the renewable fuel industry because renewable fuel accounts for less than a few percent of the total energy consumed in the world, although this sector is growing rapidly. He said one problem with renewable fuel sources is that it takes energy to harvest them. Spivey said some studies show that it takes more energy to produce biodiesel than is actually in the biodiesel. Louisiana has initiated several incentives for renewable fuel companies to operate and for consumers to use biofuels. Louisiana House Bill No. 685 requires that 2 percent of all gasoline sold in the state must be biodiesel within six months after biodiesel production in the state exceeds 50 million gallons. The state offers tax credits to consumers who convert their vehicles to operate on alternative fuel and those who purchase hybrid electric vehicles. It offers a credit for the construction of an alternative fuel refueling station. Certain property and equipment used in the manufacture of unblended biodiesel is exempt from taxing until 2012.
—-Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]