Lead Innovation Corporation (LEIC)

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Department of Agriculture's has tested HiTec's fuel output.

Beyond the Tire Swing - Fuel from Old Tires

Can you imagine paying $400 for a gallon of diesel fuel? We can't either but, apparently, MCE_5130 costs can run that high when delivering fuel by helicopter to the most remote forward locations in war zones. A Bonnots Mill man thinks he has a better way. Create oil on the spot from old tires.

We had an opportunity today to learn about the innovative waste-to-energy project taking place on Harvey Buhr's mid-Missouri farm. His company, HiTec, has developed a process that uses heat and vacuum pressure to convert whole tires into energy and reclaim raw materials for recycling. He's been working with the military to prove the concept and scale his original design up to a size capable of processing the large tires on military vehicles.

Converting tires to energy isn't new, but previous attempts have mostly been limited to burning shredded tires in power plants. HiTec's process does not require the tires to be shredded first and produces fuel oil while reclaiming steel and raw carbon. Buhr says that 1,000 pounds of scrap tires produces 51 gallons of fuel oil, 120 pounds of gas, 200 pounds of steel and 330 pounds of carbon. All of this takes place in a machine that could be transported to a remote location.

The Department of Agriculture's Fuel Quality Lab has tested HiTec's fuel output and sees potential for uses where oil doesn't need to meet ASTM standards. Meanwhile, we think it would be great if someday farmers had a place to take old tires where they could be put to good use. Making energy sure seems better than just hanging up a whole bunch of tire swings or stacking tires behind the barn.

We were impressed with what Buhr and HiTec have accomplished so far. The military has endorsed his concept and the company recently joined forces with State Fair Community College in Sedalia. HiTec will be the first tenant of a proposed Missouri Center for Waste to Energy project the college hopes to build in Sedalia. That's pretty good for old-fashioned farm ingenuity.



http://thinkoutsidethebarn.typepad.com/mda/2010/05/can-you-imagine-paying-400-for-a-gallon-of-diesel-fuel-we-cant-either-but-apparently-costs-can-run-that-high-when-deliver.html