Bently Biofuels plans to open a full-scale alternative fuel station on Buckeye Road next spring.

The station will include three fueling islands, according to Carlo Luri, general manager of Bently Biofuels. One island will house fuel pumps for different blends of ethanol, compatible with most gasoline cars. The other two islands will house fuel pumps for biodiesel, one island for regular-sized diesel automobiles, and the other for large diesel trucks.

Bently Biofuels does not produce ethanol, but will be purchasing it from other producers in the region. Luri said ethanol is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline, though he explained that e85 (85 percent ethanol) runs in newer "flux fuel" vehicles, whereas e10 (10 percent ethanol) runs in most standard gasoline cars.

He said ethanol is cheap, but does not produce as much power as pure gasoline, though the cost is outweighed by the benefit, Luri said.

Ethanol fuel creates significantly less pollution than regular gas, and unlike fossil fuels it comes from a renewable resource: Vegetables.

Luri said it's important for the new station to offer ethanol for regular cars, but that Bently Biofuel's main focus is biodiesel.

Luri recalled a conversation he had a few years ago with Don Bently, founder and owner of Bently Biofuels. According to Luri, Bently predicted that in the near future the cost of crude oil would skyrocket. Bently said that limited supply, coupled with oil's adverse effects on the environment, would create demand for alternative fuels. From that conversation, Bently Biofuels was born.

In January 2006, Bently Biofuels became its own entity, joining up with Bently's other innovative projects, Bently Agrowdynamics and Bently Pressurized Bearings.

The first order of business for Biofuels was to switch all Bently-owned vehicles to biodiesel, which it did within months of starting. Bently currently runs a fleet of biodiesel trucks on his ranch, and uses a fleet of biodiesel tractor-trailers to transport products to California.

Located off Buckeye road, Bently Biofuels currently consists of a production plant, a solar-heated warehouse, a few offices, and a small fuel pump that anyone can use to fill up their tank. Originally, Biofuels began growing crops such as canola to use in their fuel production, but they soon realized that it was more profitable to buy used grease from restaurants and convert it to high-quality fuel.

Luri explained the process of refining vegetable oil. He said that a basic diesel engine can run on vegetable oil you buy from the store, but that without proper refinement the oil will eventually build up in the engine and cause problems. He said Bently Biofuels takes vegetable oil, whether its fresh oil from crops or used cooking oil from restaurants, and combines it with methanol. In the presence of a catalyst, the combination creates a byproduct of glycerin and methlyester. Methylster, the final fuel product, is a fine, transparent yellow liquid compared to the gluey, opaque grease it came from.

Luri said there are four benefits of biodiesel. First, like ethanol, the fuel burns cleanly and reduces carbon emissions. Second, the fuel is safe, non-toxic and biodegradable, and won't contaminate the environment if spilled like regular gasoline. Third, the fuel comes from a renewable resource: Vegetables. Fourth, the cultivation of the biodiesel industry has the capacity to create new jobs wherever vegetables grow and also eliminate America's dependency on foreign oil.

Bently Biofuels plans to open its alternative fuel station in the month of April. The tentative address is 1350 Buckeye Road, near the site of the future Muller Lane bypass. Besides selling ethanol and biodiesel, the station will boast other eco-friendly features, like an organic-based convenient store, and LED lighting for the fuel islands. Also, unlike Bently Biofuels' current pump, the station will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information, call Bently Biofuels at (775) 783-0123.



-- Scott Neuffer can be reached at sneuffer@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 217.