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BioTown, USA - Three Phase Project
PHASE I
Phase I of the BioTown plan, is the promotion, education, and increased use of ethanol and biodiesel as agriculturally derived replacements for petroleum distillates.
Goals of Phase I
- Educating residents about and encouraging residents to use ethanol and biodiesel.
- Install an E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) pump and a B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel) pump in town to make alternative fuels available to BioTown residents.
- Replace the town's fleet with vehicles capable of using alternative fuels.
- Generate highly visible events that allow the alternative energy story to be told across the state, nation, and world.
In undertaking this project and becoming BioTown, the Town of Reynolds intends to work closely and cooperatively with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, The Office of Energy and Defense Development, Indiana Soybean Board, Indiana Corn Growers Association, Central Indiana Clean Cities Coalition, White County Industrial Foundation, and the White County Agricultural Association.
PHASE II
Upon the near-completion of Phase I in November 2005, the BioTown, USA, project delved into Phase II. Phase II of the BioTown project includes the research, development and implementation of plans to transform agricultural and municipal wastes into electricity. Set in a rural county, there are more than 150,000 hogs within a 15 mile radius of Reynolds, as well as several other sources of organic waste streams (biomass), making it an ideal location for an anaerobic digester, manure gasifier or some similar type of technology to convert manure and biomass into energy for the homes and businesses in Reynolds.
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture has commissioned a detailed research initiative that will take an in-depth, analytical look at energy uses in the Reynolds area, potential biomass feedstocks, byproduct uses and available technologies for waste conversion to energy. This document is in its final preparation stage and will be released to the public in late–March 2006. This is a critical piece of research that will help define and provide clarity of what potentials exist.
PHASE III
Phase III focuses on producing synthetic natural gas from agricultural wastes and biomass. Much of the technology that will comprise Phase II has great relevancy to Phase III. The bottom line of both phases is to understand and select a technological process that is the most efficient and economical at converting waste to methane gas, which can be processed to a usable form of energy.
Our work in Phase II will pave the way for suitable execution of Phase III. While Phase III is the last phase, it is being pursed congruent with all other ongoing work.
