Fueling independence through home brewing.

It may be the next best thing to having an oil well and refinery in your backyard.

For a Sault Ste. Marie scientist-turned-entrepreneur, Dr. Luc Duchesne's Frankentank Biodiesel System is a technology that's right for the times.

While western leaders give passionate lip service about shifting from fossil fuels to more 'green' alternatives, the former Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) researcher is poised to introduce a machine that gives the consumer a measure of independence from Big Oil.

If his prototype biodiesel unit receives Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approval by January, Duchesne and his business partners plan to deliver their patent-pending system to market in by early 2007.

Together with business partners Norm Jaehrling and John Barbeau, they've designed a consumer-friendly system that anyone can safely operate to home brew their own fuel.

Branded under the motto, 'Stick It to the Man', the tanks and transparent tubing of his 300-pound prototype resembles a souped-up version of a backwoods Kentucky moonshiner's still.

"This is the next generation of fuel independence," says Duchesne, "you pass the savings to the people."

With two tanks and a circulating pump, the feedstock of animal fat or vegetable oil--either virgin or straight from the deep fryer--is poured into a chemical soup that include "a catalyst" and "an alcohol."

Then you walk away to let the machine to do its work.

A circulating pump mixes the ingredients together in a tank where the esterification (chemical reaction) process takes place.

About 220 litres of feedstock will produce 200 litres of fuel in less than 24 hours. Depending upon the quality and impurities in the vegetable oil, it can take between eight and 18 hours to brew a batch.

The device creates no toxic gas emissions and the remaining byproduct, glycerin, is fit for the compost heap or for a waste oil burner.

The plug-in unit uses a "minimal" amount of power. "We're not transforming electricity into a fuel, it's a chemical reaction."

For years, Duchesne has been on a Messianic mission to make Northerners aware of the abundant, and often overlooked, natural resources in Canada's boreal forest.

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As a leading expert and promoter of nontimber forest products, he's spun his scientific knowledge into a business, Forest BioProducts Inc. (FBi). The consultancy firm is dedicated to introducing new alternative energy and value-added technologies to the North.

Partner Norm Jaehrling has an economic development background while technical colleague John Barbeau has a University of Guelph master's degree in agriculture.

Duchesne says using vegetable oil in engines is nothing new. The original diesel engine was invented to burn straight vegetable oil in the 1900's until petro-diesel became cheaper and more convenient to use.

Today, there are plenty of biodiesel contraptions that can be fished off the Internet from basement inventors who secretly make their own fuel. There are also recipes and machines in scientific papers that require almost a PhD in chemistry to operate.

None of these home kits have gone through any kind of product certification.

Duchesne says when the Frankentank hits the market, it will meet all fire and electrical code standards for home storage. As well, the fuel produced will meet ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards.

"We want to provide the customer with a machine that's not going to blow his engine."

The idea was hatched--almost out of spite--two years ago when Duchesne was working for a Canadian forest industry group looking for ways to reduce fuel costs.

He discovered the major engine manufacturers like Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere and Volvo would warranty their engines for biodiesel.

But when he tried to secure an industry discount deal with a biodiesel producer, the door was slammed in his face. The producer told Duchesne they could sell biodiesel much the same as conventional petro-diesel.

Admittedly "pissed off" by the experience, Duchesne realized despite government's best intentions to promote green energy, ultimately Big Oil would be replaced by Big Green Oil, with cost advantage to consumers.

"The light came on in my mind," says Duchesne.

His Frankentank, now in its third version, is evolving from a "big ugly tank" welded together at a local fabrication shop to an easy-to-assemble consumer model now in the design stages.

Some government money is coming, but Duchesne estimates about $200,000 in public and private money has already been sunk into the project.

Duchesne is promising a fast return on investment, which will be in the $10,000 range per unit. He says a small trucking company could realize fuel savings of between $50,000 and $70,000 using one machine.

A canola growers group is expressing interest as well as some trucking companies and prominent politicians. He has advance orders for five units and has received inquiries from two contacts in China.

"We're not using the top-down approach, we're using the innovators approach," says Duchesne. "This is sexy enough that we don't have to create a tremendous amount of profile for it. People know good technology when they see it. People know we're credible."

They plan to sell the machines through a network of selective dealers who will keep inventories of chemicals and spare parts.

One business option they're considering is offering a large-scale system and operator support to farmers or small truck fleet operators.

Duchesne, who powers his two cars on biodiesel, expects this "sexy" technology will appeal to all by providing "the little guy with the means to become independent.

"That's the very centre of my philosophy, you gotta live and think off-grid."

By IAN ROSS

Northern Ontario Business