Fueling the Future

Nathanial Doyno is ready to answer the question — almost before you get a chance to ask.

“Biodiesel fuel is the correct answer for right now,” says the 23-year-old co-founder of Steel City Biofuels. “It’s cost competitive with petroleum fuels. It can be made from local resources. It’s clean. Plus, you don’t have to change a thing to use it. You can ship it in the same trucks as traditional diesel. Pump it from the same pumps. And in most cases, you can use it in any diesel engine without any modifications.”

Along with partners Gregory Boulos and Peter Lambert, Doyno started Steel City Biofuels (SCB) in October 2005 to provide clean, renewable and local alternatives to petroleum fuels. SCB brokers deals with regional companies, organizations and governments to purchase biodiesel fuels produced on the city’s North Side by United Oil Co. Among SCB’s current customers, according to Doyno, are Giant Eagle, Eat ’n Park and other familiar local corporations and organizations.

Today, SCB and United Oil possess the capacity to annually supply 5 million gallons of biodiesel. And that’s no mere drop in the fuel bucket.

The Future Starts Here

“Right now, we have enough capacity to take the City of Pittsburgh’s vehicles off petroleum,” points out Doyno. “We’re talking with the city now and they’ve agreed to put as much as 50 percent of their vehicles on biodiesel by summer. They’re really trying to be innovative.”

By introducing biodiesel into its fuel mix, the city took a big step in protecting the environment and reducing its dependency on foreign oil. After receiving a $304,000 grant last December from the State Department of Environmental Production, the city will purchase or rehabilitate five above-ground fuel tanks to store up to 1.2 million gallons of biodiesel for its public works vehicles fleet. To kick off the initiative, the city will convert leftover cooking oil from Heinz Field and PNC Park concession stands to biodiesel.

Cooking grease is just one source of biodiesel. Doyno says that any number of materials from canola beans to switch grass can be used to produce biofuels. And he believes our corner of Western Pennsylvania is the perfect place to grow the industry.

“Pittsburgh has a great history of technological innovation, dating back to the days of steelmaking and continuing right up through the high-tech and medical work being done at local universities,” says Doyno. “That same level of innovation and development is starting to emerge in the biofuel field, too. Even more important, there is an incredible support network here for bringing new ideas into the marketplace. That’s why I’m here. I couldn’t have asked for more support. Pittsburgh is well poised to be a new research center for a whole range of industries that will be part of the green industry’s future.”

A Well-Oiled Machine

A century ago, United Oil earned a reputation serving the steel industry as a supplier of machine lubricants. But as its steel- and aluminum-making clientele dwindled, the Manchester-based company found itself with excess production capacity and questions of how to maintain the firm’s viability. In December 2005, the company became the state’s first biodiesel producer — a solution that led to United Oil’s collaboration with SCB.

“We have a common cause with Steel City Biofuels,” says United Oil president Charles Cross. “Both organizations want to help improve the environment. We both want to strengthen the local economy. And we both want to lessen the region’s dependency on foreign oil.”

So far, Cross says biodiesel has been well received locally. To help build the company’s market share, he is on a mission to educate potential customers of biodiesel’s advantages.

“First of all, I tell everyone that you don’t have to change your equipment to use biodiesel,” he explains. “Then it’s a matter of letting them know that it is available locally. Price is always a question. Most times, biodiesel prices are on par with regular diesel. If regular diesel goes up, you’ll see some savings with biodiesel. If regular drops, then biodiesel cost a few pennies more” — a point that illustrates biodiesel’s relatively stable price at the pump.

Made from vegetable- and other non-fossil fuel type materials, biodiesel produces far less waste than associated with petroleum-based diesel during production. In fact, you might not even realize what’s being made inside the United Oil building if you walked by it.

“There’s none of the odor you may expect,” says Cross. “In fact, because of the materials we use, it smells pretty good.”

A Piece in the Puzzle

Biodiesel isn’t a magic bullet that will solve America’s energy problems. Doyno is the first to admit that. But he quickly adds that locally biodiesel could account for up to 20 percent of fuel needs. And that’s a big piece of the energy puzzle. According to the Wall St. Journal, in 2006 North American venture investment in "clean tech" nearly doubled from $1.6 billion the year before to $2.9 billion. If oil prices plummet, they warn, it will take away some of the financial incentives of switching to alternative energy.

“Biodiesel presents an opportunity to transition to the next energy economy,” Doyno explains. “There are many more parts of the solution. But at the end of the day, we’re displacing a lot of petroleum-based diesel. And that’s tremendous.”

What makes the increasing use of biodiesel significant is that the diesel engine is the workhorse of industry. Along with its more obvious use in the big-rig trucks that ship good across the region and country, the diesel engine can be found in riverboats, train locomotives, power plants and many other applications. And every one of them is a potential candidate for biodiesel use — and an opportunity to recast the city’s image.

“There’s a real eagerness around these days to redefine Pittsburgh’s future,” says Doyno. “Biodiesel fuel production can be part of that.”

Charles Cross and Nathaniel Doyno

Quality testing at United Oil

Charles Cross demonstrates the usable part of a sample of biodiesel

All photographs copyright © Renee Rosensteel