60 million gallons of biodiesel -- with about
150,000 BTU/gallon -- provides less than 10 million MCF (MCF = 1
Million BTU) -- the equivalent of 10 million MCF of renewable natural gas =
methane.
On reclaimed clay settling lands in Polk County, FL,
the Corporations for Future Resources', (CFR) methanogenic anaerobic
fermentation process can produce, from leucaena, 180 net MCF of renewable
natural gas per year. There are about 250,000 acres of clay related
lands in Central Florida, upon which leucaena grows vigorously.
On less than 60,000 acres of such -- CFR's process
will produce 10 million MCF of renewable natural gas = methane. In
addition CFR's process produces 2.1 million tons of nitrogen-rich, very
slow carbon-released, organic soil-amendment-compost, fertilizer. Further
CFR's process produces `365,000 tons of food-grade carbon dioxide with today's
market for such, and all currently transported from outside Florida -- of
about 500 tons/day.
Well -- put it all together -- an investment near
1/2 that indicated for the 60 million gallons of biodiesel. would, without
subsidies, return the investment in less than a year.
Additionally this can be done with only
positive impact on the environment; without use of or release of water,
without particulate emissions; without gaseous emissions beyond carbon dioxide
that under agricultural production is ever deceasing -- carbon
dioxide equivalents in the atmosphere deceasing, that
is.
And renewable natural gas can be used in any
circumstance requiring non-renewable natural gas -- including almost all
vehicle applications.
Wow! That says a lot and all can be
proven.
Best, Dick Glick