Sidney High School students learn about biofuel opportunities

As Sidney High School students learned last week, the future is in biofuels, and there are some great career opportunities to be had.

On Thursday, John Munsell, Miles Community College, visited the school to present presentations during four periods as part of a state-wide tour to educate students on biodiesel technology and the opportunities the industry presents for future jobs.

“People need to be aware of what the future holds,” Munsell said. During fourth period, Munsell asked students to think about the day when there will no longer be petroleum. Eventually, it’ll run out and then where will the nation be? “It makes sense to do what we can,” he said.

He spoke about the petroleum crisis during the 1970s when gas prices doubled overnight. The nation thought about renewable energy then but when the prices receded, it was quickly forgotten. After all, who needed renewable gas when it was at 35 cents a gallon? But the notion eventually came back in a big way.

“I think we all found out last year that we need to find some new energy sources or we’re going to be paying $4 or more per gallon of gas,” he said.

So with that, Munsell explained to students various techniques being developed for renewable energy sources.

One is using solar energy with giant magnifying glasses known as solar collectors that focus the sun’s energy on one point. That energy could be used to heat water or heat air and distribute it through conducts. “As long as the sun is up, you’re going to get heat, you’re going to get renewable energy,” he said.

But the main source is renewable gasoline and diesel known as biofuels. The gas is known as ethanol, he said, and is primarily made from corn in the United States. In other countries it’s made from wheat. Other sources include cellulose and biomass in which corn stalk, corn cobs, straw and even trees can be made into ethanol.

Another method to produce bio-fuel is through animal fats, Munsell said. In 2008, Tyson Meat Company teamed up with Conoco/Phillips to build a refinery in Louisiana, which produces biodiesel and jet fuel from animal fats, including an abundance of chicken fat.

However, he said, Montana doesn’t produce an adequate amount of animal fats to justify a biodiesel facility. Farmers raise oilseed crops. Munsell then brought out six types of these crops (canola, safflower, sunflower, flax, camelina and soybean). Using a small sized demonstration press, Munsell then displayed how oil is extracted from oilseed crops. Using safflower seeds, Munsell showed the students that by applying high heat and pressure, the seeds become crushed and the oil is squeezed out, leaving the unused shells.

He then demonstrated how a bio-diesel reactor operates. The device cleans the fuel by blending the oil, methanol and lye (for a catalyst). Once the glycerin settles, the remaining biodiesel goes through a water wash to remove impurities. Once the water evaporates, all that’s left is the clean bio-diesel.

Munsell stressed the importance of the opportunities within the renewable energy field. “All across American now, colleges and universities are coming up with two-year degree programs,” he said. With big companies investing so much into developing new fuels (Exxon, for example, announced earlier this year it is investing $600 million to produce biodiesel from algae), high-paying jobs are emerging all the time. Munsell spoke specifically on the 91 wind towers at Judith Gap and the wind towers near Shelby, which will have 2,000 three years from now. “Colleges just aren’t producing graduates fast enough to run all this equipment in the renewable energy industry,” he said.

Miles Community College’s activities are funded by a federal WIRED grant, which provides equipment demonstrations and classroom discussions to schools and farm and ranch groups. He said when he travels to schools, he can tell by students’ reactions they haven't the “foggiest” clue about biodiesel.

“I tell students the word ‘biofuels’ is going to become a common place word in their age group,” he said. The presentations have been well received. “Reception on the part of both the student and the faculty is very good wherever I go simply because this is brand new information.”

reporter@sidneyherald.com