EUGENE, Ore. -- SeQuential Biofuels has opened what it says is a first-of-its-kind biofuels retail station. SeQuential Biofuels is the first major fuel retailer in the Pacific Northwest to offer a variety of biofuel-blended motor fuels to the mainstream market under a single, branded canopy, it said. The biofuels station, located just off Interstate 5 in Eugene, Ore., will provide biofuel blends approved for use in all gasoline and diesel vehicles:
10% ethanol with 90% gasoline for all gasoline vehicles. 85% ethanol with 15% gasoline for E85 flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). 5% [image-nocss] biodiesel with 95% diesel for diesel vehicles. 20% biodiesel with 80% diesel for most diesel vehicles. 99.9% biodiesel with 0.1% diesel for some diesel vehicles.We have watched the offering of mainstream organic products and recycled products expand significantly over the last five years, said Ian Hill, project developer and SeQuential Biofuels co-founder. Today, our customers are demanding domestically produced, renewable motor fuel options, as well.
Renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable design elements are themes throughout the site. Approaching the site, the dominant features are the 244 solar panels that cover the fueling islands and the 4,800 plants installed in five inches of soil on the roof of the convenience store. The 33kW solar array will provide 30% to 50% of the electrical power that the station will require annually. The living roof will help to control rainwater runoff on the site and will help cool the c-store during the summer.
Other eco-friendly design elements include stormwater detention bioswales where plants will filter pollutants from rainwater that rinses the roadways and parking areas and will clean the water before it leaves the site. SeQuential also has made a significant effort to source building materials that are made in the Pacific Northwest region.
Building energy efficient buildings that work with the natural environment adds to SeQuential's overall goal of sustainability and responsibility, Hill said. It just makes sense.
The land where the station is located was the site of a previous fuel station that shut down more than 10 years ago. Under supervision of the former owner, the site had been contaminated by leaking gasoline tanks and pumps and the owner had abandoned it. SeQuential worked with Lane County and with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to clean up the previously polluted brownfield property and put it back into productive use.
Businesses and individuals are increasingly aware of the impact that their choices have on our economy and on our natural environment, Hill said. SeQuential is dedicated to setting an example of responsible, sustainable development and to offering product options that create the most positive impact on people's lives and communities.
The c-store carries natural foods and beverages, many of which are produced by regional companies. The store also houses an annex of Sweet Life Patisserie, an established local coffee and pastry shop known for its coffees, baked goods and savories, complete with wireless internet and a seating area. Local farmers will stock a seasonal fresh produce stand also located at the station.
Founded in August 2002 by Ian Hill and Tomas Endicott, SeQuential Biofuels is a biofuels marketing, distribution and retail company with offices in Portland and Eugene, Ore. In partnership with more than 20 regional fuel distributors, SeQuential offers commercial biodiesel/petroleum diesel blends to businesses, governments and individuals at more than 25 retail and cardlock pumps throughout the state.
In 2004, SeQuential formed SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel, a joint venture with Pacific Biodiesel of Maui, Hawaii, to construct Oregon's first and only commercial biodiesel production facility. The facility began operation in July 2005, and it produces one million gallons of ASTM-certified biodiesel made from used cooking oil collected from Pacific Northwest restaurants and food processors and from virgin canola oil grown in Eastern Oregon, the company said.
In other biofuels news, 18 Shell stations in the Austin, Texas, area have opened pumps that carry B20 blends. This makes Austin the No. 1 city in the nation for B20 retail availability, according to Biodiesel magazine.
Austin Biofuels LLC, a biodiesel distributor and marketer, teamed up with Triple S Petroleum, a local petroleum distributor, to roll out B20 to its Shell-branded Signature Austin convenience stores in July, said the report.
We've had a B99 and B100 presence in town since 2003, but adding these B20 pumps will really expand our customer base, Jeff Plowman, president of Austin Biofuels, told the magazine.
One other pump in Austin carries B20, bringing the total to 19. The National Biodiesel Board estimates that there are more than 800 retail pumps with varying blend levels of biodiesel across the nation. About 1,700 petroleum distributors, like Triple S, carry biodiesel nationwide, it said.
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