| Farm-brewed biodiesel blend powers harvesting equipment |
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Biodiesel production unit at Setniker farm
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This summer, renewable energy is helping power Setniker Farms’ equipment as they harvest their crops. Scott Setniker, one of the family members involved in the operation, is brewing biodiesel to supply some of the fuel for the equipment.
“It’s an exploratory process for us right now,” explains Scott Setniker. “We’re trying a B20 (20% biodiesel) blend this summer in a truck, a tractor, and a windrower, to see how it works.” He is optimistic about the experiment’s outcome. “I’m really excited about it. At four dollars a gallon for regular diesel, it’s hard not to be.”
Setniker became interested in producing biodiesel for on-farm use through several Crop and Soil Science classes at Oregon State University. After graduating from OSU, he began researching biodiesel production in earnest, visiting other growers’ processing facilities and evaluating different types of processing equipment. Eventually, he purchased several pieces of equipment from neighbors, including a small biodiesel processing system originally intended to produce biodiesel from yellow grease. He also purchased and set up a silo next to a farm building and installed a screw-press crusher to crush oilseeds and harvest the oil.
Setniker purchased canola seed from Eastern Oregon for his first processing trial. “We’re running the seed from the silo into a hopper that feeds it into the crusher,” he explains. Canola oil comes out of the crusher and flows through a screen to remove leftover solids, then flows into a storage tank where it’s ready to be processed into biodiesel.
“First, the oil goes into a pre-heating tank,” Setniker explains. “Then it goes into the mixing tank with methanol and potassium hydroxide. The resulting biodiesel goes into the washing tank, then through three filters, and it’s ready to blend with diesel.”
The crushing and processing creates several byproducts, the most valuable of which is canola meal. Canola meal is high in protein, and is a popular ingredient for livestock feed blends. “We run about 100 head of cattle, so we can feed the meal in the winter,” Setniker explains.
Setniker estimates that the system, including the silo, crusher, and processing unit but not counting labor, cost about $65,000. “I think you could get a really nice system for about $80,000,” he explains.
Setniker has worked with staff at the Oregon Department of Energy to submit a Business Energy Tax Credit application to help offset part of his costs. Oregon’s Business Energy Tax Credit, or BETC, is 50% for the capital costs of renewable energy projects, including equipment to grow and process biodiesel crops. Growers must submit their application for the credit before beginning a project.
The Setnikers are trying an oilseed crop, camelina, on their farm this year. “We have about 120 acres of camelina planted, and it looks very promising,” he says. “In the future, we’re thinking we might be able to plant it in the fall or spring, and harvest it early enough that we can follow it with a row crop.”
Setniker hopes that other growers will conduct similar experiments growing their own oilseed crops and processing oilseeds into biodiesel. “I wish every farmer knew how easy to produce biodiesel.”
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