Estimated Used Cooking Oil in South Dakota

Used cooking oil (UCO) can be transesterified to road-grade biodiesel in eight hours or so. Rather than having a waste disposal problem, generators of UCO in South Dakota have an untapped fuel resource for local

• fire departments
• ambulance services
• city street / county highway maintenance depts.
• city buses
• U.S. Postal Service
• furniture / large appliance delivery vehicles
• tool vans ("Snap-On") and
• other local delivery service vehicles

as well as for farm equipment.

According to chemical engineers at the University of Saskatchew, an estimate of annual U.S. per capita generation of yellow grease [used cooking oils and greases] is of 9 lbs.

Using that estimate, 754,844 SD residents generate 6,793,596 pounds of yellow grease. Tyson Foods determined that about 8 pounds of yellow grease and animal fats transesterified to 1 gallon of biodiesel (BD).

If mathematics are consistent, each year we could have 849,199 gallons of BD to use. At between $4.11 to $4.39 per gallon of petro-diesel (U.S. Energy Admin., 28 April 08), the BD is worth $3,490,210 - $3,727,983.

Each year South Dakotans throw away about $3.5 million; other states are throwing even more millions into landfills or down drains. Rudolf Diesel designed his engines in the 1890s to run on peanut and other vegetable oils before crude oil refining was economical.

By 1912 the first Chevron gasoline station had been built, changing internal combustion practices for the forseeable future. Perhaps Diesel's initial vision will enjoy a greater resurgence here in the U.S. as we travel "back to the future."

About second chances- "Slouching Toward Fargo"

Initially assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to produce a "hatchet job" about Bill Murray and his part-ownership of a minor league baseball team, Slouching Toward Fargo instead was written by Neal Karlen to highlight the fun and good times that should be the heart and soul of baseball.

Even though the St. Paul Saints baseball team was like an "old-time carnival" and consistently sold-out its home, Midway Stadium, offering second chances was the result. Darryl Strawberry, Kevin Gardner, and J.D. Drew were on the roster for a time, as were Ila Borders (first woman pitcher in men's professional baseball), Dave Stevens, and Wayne "Twig" Terwilliger.

Mike Veeck- sounds like wreck- ensured that the fans "got their money's worth" with Tobias, the fresh-baseball delivery pig and inflated sumo-suit wrestling. Veeck, Murray (who attended games when his movie career allowed), athletes, and many other talented front-office people made Midway the best destination of the "Twin Cities" of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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In many ways, farm energy production is a second chance the U.S. to regain a bit of energy self-sufficiency. Wind energy in SD carries an estimated 1,030 billion kWhs of power each year; ethanol production and biodiesel production bring better prices for commodities as well as a means to solve a waste-disposal problem by converting used cooking oil into biodiesel. These two forms of energy are abundant in many states and remain "underperforming assets."

Local electricity generation and local biodiesel production for use in transit, fire fighting, mail delivery, and other and services will reduce municipal electricity bills and fuel costs. And the air might smell more like fried chicken than diesel fumes by the end of each day.

But no freshly mown ballpark grass here; today the temperatures are sub-zero and the skies sunny. Standing next to a south-facing wall makes me almost smell that grass; walking back to my car (it's not a St. Paul Saints "Northern League car") instantly snaps me back to "the real world." My footsteps "eek-auk" up to the driver's-side door which groans, as it always does when it is not just cold out there; it's damn cold.

(About now I wish Summer had a second chance.)

Saudis keeping more oil home

"Saudi Industrial Drive Strains Oil-Export Role," by Neil King Jr.; The Wall Street Journal; 12 Dec 07; pA1, A17

Saudi Arabia wants to become a big exporter of chemicals, fertilizers, aluminum, and plastics.

Industrial developments will consume large quantities of Saudi oil that otherwise would be bought by other countries

Increased consumption by Middle Eastern countries by their industrial development efforts comes at a time when oil production is slumping in North Seas fields and in Mexico.

Saudis are burning crude oil to make electricity for aluminum and copper smelting and other industries

p A17
Industrial development is fast-paced in many Middle Eastern countries; per capita oil consumption in Saudi Arabia is 32 barrels; per capita oil consumption in the U.S. is 25 barrels @$94.39.

At the futures price for a bushel of soybeans, 8 bu. pay for 1 barrel; at the futures price for a bushel of corn, almost 22 bu. pay for 1 barrel.

At that conumption by Saudis, the U.S. Dept. of Energy estimates 1/3 of Saudi oil will be for its industrial growth by 2020

Bringing fresh batches of oil to market is increasingly difficult for all nations

Saudi royal mandate: use oil in electricity production plants; 2 cents per kWh or less

By 2012, 60% of Saudi power plants will be burning crude oil

Nuclear power is definitely in the power plant future for the Saudis

Four new "economic cities," each have a 3,000 MW power plant, are being built as homes for petrochemical, smelting, fertilizers, and chemicals production

Energy-intensive industrial development is being done because "this is where the energy is."

[Is this good or bad for the wind industry? The strategy looks like OPEC but adding monopolies of

• fertilizer production & exporting
• petrochemicals production & exporting and
• aluminum and copper production & exporting.

We are warned; how will we act to not repeat falling victims to these monopolies as we are now of OPEC. Oh sure, we are less comfortable with the situation compared to 20 years ago, but the pain of $95 a barrel oil is less than the pain of changing our "habit."

We have a tremendous potential farm energy production industry here in South Dakota and elsewhere, but transforming that potential into energy self-sufficiency will demand teamwork.

Revisiting Jurassic Park: "Hold onto your butts."]