New Bioheat Fuel Terminal Opens in New Jersey

Posted by admin on July 1, 2011 at 10:52 am

Sprague Energy's Steve Levy is jazzed to show off the company's new Bioheat storage capabilities in West Harrison! (image: Michael Pellegrin/biodieselnow.com)

When people hear the term “biodiesel,” they often think of it as an alternative fuel for vehicles, which it is. However, this biodegradable, nontoxic, and renewable substance is perfectly compatible with home heating equipment like oil-fired furnaces and boilers. When used for home heating, biodiesel is often referred to as Bioheat. And it was a good week for Bioheat, as Sprague Energy and Sunoco Logistics announced the official opening of an expansive biodiesel supply and loading terminal in New Jersey.

Located at the Sunoco Logistics Newark Terminal, the supply center will be the first in the state to provide different types of fuels, including multiple biodiesel and Bioheat blends of low-sulfur diesel and heating oil. For now, the available blends include B2, B5, B10, and B20.

According to Steve Levy, Sprague Energy’s managing director, the terminal is home to a 132,000 gallon storage tank, and utilizes state-of-the-art rack injection. While the outdated “splash blending” technique was inconsistent at best, “injecting biodiesel with the automated rack blending system saves time and money while ensuring a homogeneous blend,” Levy says.

The new facility will aid distributors in the high-demand areas of northern and central New Jersey, bringing biodiesel and Bioheat to a large number of both commercial fleets and residential homes.

“Our goal is to provide the terminal and pipeline infrastructure our customers demand,” said Michael J. Hennigan, president and CEO of Sunoco Logistics. “By adding biodiesel and Bioheat blending capability at the Newark terminal, Sunoco Logistics continues to meet our customers’ needs for biofuels distribution.”

Biodiesel feedstock supplies will come from vegetable oil, animal fats, and recycled cooking oil, all steps in the right direction.

For heating oil consumers, this is good news. It means more people will have better access to cleaner fuel options, which translates to a lowered impact on the environment and on consumers’ wallets. The more we invest in alternative forms of energy, the less we will have to depend on foreign oil, which will eventually drive down prices. In other words, sometimes less really is more.