Post Oak RC&D Area

"Regional partners offering knowledge and resources for rural betterment"

Counties Served

Brazos Burleson Freestone Grimes Lee

Leon Madison Robertson Waller Washington

For Information Contact: Post Oak RC&D Area Allen Smith, Coordinator 1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 510 Bryan, TX 77802-2700 Phone (979) 846-0819 Fax (979) 846-0923 Website:  Post Oak RC&D

Project Highlight

Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel

In the past few years, fuel prices have increased dramatically nation wide due to increasing demands for energy. The Council along with numerous partners decided in 2006 to become proactive in the never ending search for alternative energy.

In the fall of 2006 Post Oak RC&D along with their partners planted field trials in Wharton and Robertson counties. The trials tested 21 varieties of Canola, Mustard, Rape and Radish. Seed from these plants all have an oil content of over 40 percent and have been widely used as feed stock for the production of biodiesel. The primary goal of the trials is to determine species and varieties that will thrive in the Brazos Valley. Top varieties which excel in production will be planted in coming years in larger strip trials. In the fall of 2007 Council plans call for the construction of a mobile oil extraction mill, and a mobile biodiesel batch reactor. Post Oak along with it’s partners plan to use the extraction mill and batch reactor for field demonstrations, extracting the oil from the seed and producing biodiesel on farms.

The development of a cool season vegetable oil crop will give farmers in the Brazos Valley the option of raising and producing their own fuel or simply selling the crop for additional cash flow. The success of this project will give both farmers and citizens in the Post Oak area one more choice in their search for alternatives to petroleum based fuel.

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