This summer was the hottest on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the forecast for October could be much of the same: hotter than usual temperatures with less than normal precipitation. A major drought has affected much of the U.S. with Texas feeling the worst impact followed by Colorado, Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, Arkansas, Indiana, and Hawaii. With the heat and dry weather, concerns over biofuel production also began to heat up.
Crop estimates from the United States Agricultural Department (USDA) predict that the corn harvest will be down around 13 percent and soy production down about 12 percent from 2011. Yet as the harvest continues, the U.S. is still estimated to have the eighth largest corn crop on record and the second largest corn crop globally.
Genuine Bio-Fuel believes they have a technological solution for the biofuel industry to mitigate the negative effects the drought is having on the environment. The company says that unlike other biodiesel production technologies that use water for washing fuel, their manufacturing process does not use water and therefore there is no need to dispose of contaminated water.
“Our patent pending manufacturing and cleaning processes were designed with the environmental impact in mind. We believe creating green energy should not compromise the safety of our environment,” said Jeff Longo, Executive Vice President of the company.
Genuine Bio-Fuel produces biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, used cooking oils and other waste feedstocks but does not use soy or other crops that have been impacted by the drought. The weather has caused higher prices for corn and soybeans and this has caused some plants across the U.S. to reduce production and or go temporarily offline. The company believes that their technology is a good solution for other biodiesel producers from both an economic standpoint and an environmental standpoint.