Will biodiesel fuel the future?

Wines & Vines, Nov, 2004 by Louisa Aronow

Stroll through Navarro Vineyards in Anderson Valley during the crush and your nose will be greeted with the dry, dusty crispness of a California autumn, the pungent mustiness of crushed Gewurztraminer, and the tantalizing scent of French fries. The unexpected odor of vegetable oil is from biodiesel, a biodegradable, nonpetroleum fuel that powers the hot water pressure washer.

On a golden November day in the upper reaches of the Redwood Valley AVA, old vines are being extracted from the earth at Frey Vineyards. But the workers aren't complaining about fumes from the stationary backhoe, although they say the smell does make them hungry.

Why are many Mendocino County wineries paying 10% to 70% more to put vegetable oil in their diesel equipment? The reasons range from a desire for a better product to a desire for a better planet, but they're certainly all improving the work environment.

"I never used diesel-fired pressure washers before because I didn't like diesel fumes, but biodiesel fumes are pleasant and food grade," explained Navarro winemaker Jim Klein. "I'm not doing it as a feel-good thing--I want to make a better product." Klein is concerned about what people are breathing, as well as odors. He knows that compared to diesel fuel, biodiesel produces about 45% less lung-damaging particulate matter and 94% fewer carcinogens.

The devastation caused by global warming seems to be continents away from the golden bliss of Anderson Valley, but it's in the consciences of wineries that are looking for ways to reduce the emissions of C[O.sub.2] from burning fossil fuels. In a more sustainable model of the carbon cycle, the C[O.sub.2] released by burning biodiesel is equal to the C[O.sub.2] used by the plants to produce the next crop of oil for biodiesel.

The 100% biodiesel that is delivered to Navarro Vineyards is made from new soy oil or recycled restaurant fryer oil. Biodiesel is made by blending a precise amount of alcohol (usually methanol) and a small fraction of sodium hydroxide (lye) to form a catalyst that turns vegetable oil--or even animal fat--into a burnable fuel.

The beauty of biodiesel is that it can be used in any newer diesel engine without modifications, and will in fact make an engine run much more cleanly and efficiently. However, there are three famous inconveniences to using the fuel that require accommodation: the compatibility of hoses and O-rings, old carbon sludge and temperature. The natural rubber hoses, gaskets, and O-rings that are common in pre-1993 engines can be gradually dissolved or shrunk by the biodegradable fuel, and must be replaced with Viton or another biodiesel-compatible material. Due to its solvent nature and high viscosity, biodiesel will clean out old carbon sludge from the fuel tank of an older vehicle, which can result in a severely clogged fuel filter. When using biodiesel in an older engine, the fuel filter must be checked occasionally. And as anyone who has ever used salad dressing knows, vegetable oil tends to solidify when it's cold. In temperatures below 40[degrees]F, biodiesel must be warmed, mixed with a cold-weather anti-gel additive, or blended with regular diesel.

At Fetzer Vineyards in Hopland, they "jumped in with two feet" three years ago and had a "learning experience that cost a few dollars," according to Susanne Zechiel, facilities resource manager. First, they experimented with a 1988 big rig. Using B20, a blend of 20% biodiesel to 80% diesel, they didn't have any problems with the fuel filter. But for some reason the old engine failed. "We didn't know it was the injectors at first. Then we figured out that the fuel wasn't compatible with the natural rubber in the O-rings, after working on the injectors three times," Zechiel said.

"After that initial problem we haven't had any more problems," added transportation manager Eric Graham. "Just make sure you're running it in newer equipment." Now Fetzer is using biodiesel in all its tractors and other ranch equipment in Hopland, as well as several vans and big rigs.

In Fetzer's spacious, solar-paneled, rosy-brown rammed-earth administration building, Zechiel explained how one of California's biggest wineries started putting vegetable oil fuel in its diesel vehicles. With her cell phone ringing urgently every few minutes, Zechiel seemed like she might be more at home in a 10th floor executive office than in the hinterlands of Northern California. She leaned forward earnestly to explain what it means to be "an environmentally and socially conscious grower."

"We have a program called E3. We look at the impact on the environment, the employees and the economics. It's not the modus operandi--it's the culture." Fetzer has been growing organically since 1986. By working creatively, the company has reduced landfill by 95% and water waste by 25%. Then, in 2001, the environmental manager came up with the idea of using an alternative fuel. Although the fuel Fetzer uses is only 20% biodiesel, the company believes it reduces harmful emissions by 30%. "These ideas just bubble up from the bottom," Zechiel said. "Brown-Forman allows us to operate this way."