SeQuential Biofuels :: FreQuently Asked Questions

Biofuel decreases the amount of petroleum used, promotes energy security and decreases emissions. Biofuels are a net energy gain – they contain more energy than it takes to produce them, as they are made from plants that draw energy from the sun.

People are often looking for a silver bullet that will cure all of our energy dependence needs. Unfortunately there is no single answer to all our problems of energy usage, pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. The solution involves a combination of using less energy and supporting renewable energy.

Whenever possible, walk, ride your bike, or use public transit. When you do need to use your car, use Biofuels. At home, you can use less energy and support local products, businesses and farmers. All of these things can be considered “voting with your dollar”, which sends a message to your friends companies and governments. Over time, more and more people will switch to local and renewable energy to help solve the problem.

For more information:
Overview on biofuels: http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/pdfs/39436.pdf
Cellulosic Bioethanol: http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/pdfs/40742.pdf
Algae Biodiesel information: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf
Petroleum usage statistics: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/info_glance/petroleum.html

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4. Is using food as a fuel source a good idea?

As many of you know, not all biofuels are made the same; cutting down the rainforest to grow biofuel crops is a terrible idea. Growing crops locally has been proven thru many studies to create lowered emissions and a net gain of energy over the life cycle of the fuel.

Click here for SeQuential's expanded Food vs Fuel response.
Click here for the US Department of Energy's response.
Click here for a presentation from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on Food vs Fuel. [7mb pdf]

Life cycle assessments follow a product from "cradle to grave" and all the inputs in between; for biofuels, this would be taking everything from planting, to fertilizing, harvesting, transport, conversion, distribution and combustion, into consideration.

100% soybean-based biodiesel (grown in the US) has a lifecycle impact of lowering carbon dioxide emissions by about 78% as compared to petroleum diesel.
Source: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24089.pdf
85% corn-based bioethanol (grown in the US) has a lifecycle impact of lowering carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by about 41% as compared to petroleum gasoline.
Source: http://devafdc.nrel.gov/pdfs/5700.pdf

Most studies are done with Midwest grown soybean based biodiesel and corn based bioethanol. The SeQuential-Pacific plant in Salem primarily makes biodiesel out of used cooking oil, adding the element of recycling into the mix. There have not seen any studies on how many times better this makes the environmental impact, but it is imagined to be many-fold.

The recent rise in food prices, which is sometimes blamed on the use of food crops for fuel, is largely due to increased foreign demand for US grains due to crop failures in other parts of the world.

SeQuential is committed to using recycled, local and sustainably grown fuel products whenever possible. The future of biofuels depends on making the switch to non-food sources, such as cellulosic Bioethanol and algae biodiesel. SeQuential believes that these non-food based biofuels will be available in the near future, and will be a critical piece of the solution to the world’s energy problems.

For more information:
General info: http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/Biomass/forum.shtml
General info: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/publications.html
General info: http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/375.pdf

Cellulosic Bioethanol information: http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/pdfs/40742.pdf
Algae Biodiesel information: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf
Increased food prices study: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/February08/Features/CornPrices.htm
Increased food prices study: http://www.informaecon.com/Consumer_Price_Inflation_Study.htm

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5. How else can I help tackle issues like global warming and energy security?

Other ways you can lower your CO2 emissions are by driving less – walk, bike, carpool or ride the bus; when you do drive, make sure you use SeQuential’s cleaner burning fuel!

For more information:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/index.html

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6. I’m buying a new car – do you recommend gas or diesel?

The use of all biofuels decrease emissions. So whether you purchase a gasoline or diesel, you can take advantage of biofuels.

The diesel engine is inherently 25-30% more fuel efficient than the gasoline engine. Complementing the efficiency of the diesel engine, the use of Biodiesel has a better energy balance than that of current Bioethanol. Keep in mind that the selection of diesel vehicle in the United States is still somewhat limited, but is expected to expand in coming years as domestic and importuned diesel models are offered.

For more information: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

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7. Do biofuels work with hybrid or clean diesel technologies?

Hybrid vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, run great on E10 Gasoline.

Next generation diesel vehicles run great on Biodiesel blends. All exhaust systems are compatible with biodiesel, including the newer urea-based (carbonic acid diamide) Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems.

The key to keep SCR systems working is a low phosphorous content of the Biodiesel: 10 ppm max. The American standard for biodiesel, ASTM D6751, states that Biodiesel can have 10 ppm max of phosphorous. Therefore, the next generation of diesels will be compatible with Biodiesel.

http://www.ufop.de/2051.php

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8. Can I invest in SeQuential?

SeQuential is a privately held company and is not currently accepting investments.

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9. Is SeQuential hiring?

SeQuential is currently hiring station attendants. Download an application and mail it to info@SQbiofuels.com.

SeQuential is not currently looking for other positions, but does keep cover letters and resumes for future opportunities. Feel free to send yours in to info@SQbiofuels.com and we’ll consider it when there are openings.

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10. What is the history of SeQuential?

1999 – Ian Hill, on a road trip from Oregon to California, smells smoke and pulls over. As he stands on the side of the road and watches his Toyota pickup smolder and then blaze into flames, he thinks, “There must be a better way to fuel a vehicle than gasoline.” The seed for SeQuential is planted.
2000 – Ian and Tomas Endicott start “home brewing” biodiesel. Word spreads and soon they are hearing from thousands of people, conducting information booths at community events throughout Oregon. Ian and Tomas recognize an entrepreneurial opportunity.

2002 – SeQuential Biofuels forms as a biodiesel marketing company.

2003 – Ian and Tomas start selling biodiesel out of the back of a diesel pickup truck and form a marketing partnership with Tyree Oil in Eugene.

2003-2007 – SeQuential builds the largest biofuels retail network in the U.S. with more than 30 biofuel pumps at independent retailers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

2004 – Tyson Keever joins SeQuential as a third partner and begins expanding SeQuential biodiesel distribution throughout Oregon. Ian, Tomas and Tyson begin to hold regular Saturday fuelings in Eugene.
SeQuential Biofuels Retail LLC is launched, with the goal of opening a retail station.

2004 – SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel LLC is launched. A joint venture between SeQuential Biofuels (Portland and Eugene, Oregon) and Pacific Biodiesel (Maui, Hawaii), it is the first commercial biodiesel production facility in Oregon and only the second commercial biodiesel production facility in the Pacific Northwest.

August 2005 – The first gallons of SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel are produced. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Salem City Mayor Janet Taylor are on hand at the grand opening of the production facility.

September 2006 – Dave Garten, a former Intel executive, joins SeQuential as its first CEO.

September 2, 2006 – SeQuential opens the first all-biofuel and biofuel-blend fueling station in the Pacific Northwest. Located at 86714 McVay Highway off I-5 in Eugene, Oregon, it offers fuels for every vehicle with no conversion required. It also has the first public E85 Bioethanol pump in Oregon.

2006 – SeQuential receives the 2006 Oregon Brownfield Award and the 2006 Eugene “Emerald Award” for excellence in innovation.

2007 – SeQuential receives the 2007 EPA National Phoenix Award for Underground Storage Tank Remediation project.

2007 – Awarded a $200,000 grant by the City of Portland to build a SeQuential station in Portland, Oregon.

December 7, 2007 – Exclusive recipient of the 2007 Governor’s Gold Award for small business.

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11. Where is SeQuential's fuel Sourced From?

Users of SeQuential’s fuel can be rest assured that their fuel is grown and processed as locally as available. In the near term, this involves augmenting our supply with products from the Midwest, like soy based biodiesel and corn for ethanol production. SeQuential is committed to developing sustainable, local supply chains and will never distribute palm oil biodiesel.

Today’s breakdown of SeQuential’s overall fuel supply looks something like this: (click for larger image)

SeQuential is committed to sourcing locally and sustainably whenever possible and actively engages in continually developing better sources.
All products from the Midwest are transported by rail, which is very efficient.
The SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel facility in Salem, OR uses about 95% used cooking oil and 5% canola oil. Its production alone cannot meet demand and is currently under expansion.
SeQuential’s ethanol is made by Pacific Ethanol in Boardman, OR. Pacific Ethanol has a process that is more efficient than the industry standard and is currently building a cellulosic ethanol plant.
In the future, SeQuential aspires to use fuel grown, collected and processed exclusively in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

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inQuiries :: info@SQbiofuels.com ©2007 SeQuential Biofuels all rights reserved
Portland Office 620 SW 5th Ave, Ste. 1225 Portland, Oregon 97204 Phone: 503.978.3210 FAX 503.296.5797
Eugene Station 86714 McVay Hwy Eugene, Oregon 97405 Phone :: 541.736.5864