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| Abdollahi addresses question posed by trainee |
Baton Rouge, La - Southern University Ag Center’s Urban Forestry & Natural Resource Management Program research scientists, led by Dr. Kamran Abdollahi are always seeking different ways to reduce waste in the urban ecosystem in an environmentally friendly way, particularly in the aftermath of hurricanes. Dr. Abdollahi sought a novel and efficient technology to recycle tree debris that had stressed most of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In his quest, Abdollahi collaborated with the industry sector and identified a state of the art Micro biofuel system that could produce biofuel from biomass. He obtained funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to enhance bioenergy education, research and outreach in Louisiana and the region. He also secured additional funding to acquire three Micro-Fueler systems from E-Fuel Corporation in California. Since then, Floyd Butterfield, the inventor of Micro-Fueler System and VP Biofuels, has made several trips to train research scientists and students on the proper utilization of the system. The Micro-Fueler (a Mini Biofuel Factory) is capable of converting processed waste biomass into biofuels such as diesel and ethanol. Mr. Butterfield indicated that the company’s goal is converting waste and agricultural feedstock such as corn, into fuel for vehicles and/or to generate power, further citing this as a more economical approach than transporting debris to landfills.
“We think that fuel independence is valuable for everyone,” said Butterfield.
The company foresees many additions and directions for the machine as well as biofuel production, especially given the constantly rising gasoline prices.
Energy production is currently controlled by huge companies. Making the home ethanol system available to small scale producers through a sustainable self-generated means would boost the local and regional economies while benefiting the environment.
Abdollahi and Butterfield are collaborating on creating public awareness with the possibility of setting up a training facility at Southern University Ag Center to benefit the south. Louisiana State University is also a partner in the project and a representative made a presentation on the topic.
According to the BioMass Energy Center, Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy, this is often used to denote plant based material, but biomass can equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived material.
For further detail, contact Dr. Kamran Abdollahi at Kamran_abdollahi@suagcenter.com or 225-771-2242.
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Contact:
Bridget Udoh
(225) 771-5714
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