Reaping extra value from rotation crops
Brett Bundale, Telegraph-Journal Published Friday September 18th, 2009
Biodiesel Eastern Greenway Oils Inc.'s fuel additives used by Fredericton's transit buses
WATERVILLE - A few years ago, four Carleton County farmers had an idea to turn crops into cash.
 Cindy Wilson/Telegraph-Journal One of Eastern Greenway Oils Inc.'s products are pellets made from seed meal. |
 Cindy Wilson/Telegraph-Journal Eastern Greenway Oils Inc., an eco-friendly biodiesel company that creates all-natural, non-toxic and bio-degradable products - from biodiesel, pictured above, to animal feed. "It's a very unique and fully integrated business," says Brandon Harvey, the company's sales and marketing director. "The four farmers are the company's sole shareholders and they also grow most of the crops that are used for the company's products." |
Although the traditional staple crop on the rolling farmlands of western New Brunswick is potatoes, rotation crops such as canola, mustard and soy beans are planted to add nutrients to the soil.
The business savvy - and environmentally conscious - farmers decided to reap extra value from the rotation crops by harvesting the oil seeds.
The far-fetched idea quickly morphed into Eastern Greenway Oils Inc., an eco-friendly biodiesel company.
Since 2006, the firm has developed groundbreaking products from its humble headquarters along the old Trans-Canada Highway.
From biodiesel to animal feed, the products are all-natural, non-toxic and bio-degradable.
"It's a very unique and fully integrated business," said Brandon Harvey, sales and marketing director. "The four farmers are the company's sole shareholders and they also grow most of the crops that are used for the company's products."
The products include biodiesel, fuel additives, industrial washing products, soil fertilizers, pellets made from seed meal to burn in wood stoves and Penetrol, an all-purpose lubricating fluid similar to WD-40.
"We've teamed up with dealers across Atlantic Canada to sell our additives and we're close to moving into the northeastern United States," Harvey said.
The fuel additives are used by the city of Fredericton in its transit buses.
"They use the 4 Plus Premium in the buses, which is the Heinz 57 of the biodiesel additives," he said. "It's an all-in-one. It adds lubricity, improves combustion to reduce carbon monoxide emissions and gives you better fuel mileage."
When fuel prices peaked last year, the company's sales of biodiesel additives skyrocketed.
"We sold a lot to trucking companies. Their number one cost is fuel so they were willing to try anything to bring the cost down," Harvey said. "Our product sales went through the roof."
The Waterville company recently teamed up with the Department of Transportation in Woodstock for a pilot project that has the province's dump trucks, road graters, snow plows and other heavy equipment using five per cent biodiesel.
"Our intent is to eventually increase the amount of biodiesel that's in the mix until it's 100 per cent pure biodiesel," Harvey said.
For much of its research and development, Eastern Greenway Oils has partnered up with the University of New Brunswick.
Chemical Engineering professor Frank Collins has overseen much of the research as well as the pilot project with Fredericton city buses.
"With the data collected, the buses showed as much as a 20 per cent increase in fuel economy," Collins said after the initial 12 week project.
There was a 65 per cent reduction in carbon monoxide emissions and a one per cent improvement in combustion efficiency, he said. In addition, the additive helped lubricate the bus engine, reducing maintenance.
The company is continuing its research in new oilseed crop products, Harvey said.
"It's a matter of time before oil prices begin to rise again," he said. "As more stringent air quality requirements come into effect the renewable energy agenda will become more pressing."