VOA标准英语2011--Company Takes Biodiesel From Field to Fr

Company Takes Biodiesel From Field to Fryer to Fuel

In the worldwide search for alternative energy sources, vegetable oil is becoming an increasingly popular substitute for crude oil. Diesel¹-engine fuel can be made easily from soybean, canola or other oils commonly found in the kitchen. But just a 90-minute drive from Washington, DC, one company is working to take canola from the field to the fryer to the fuel tank, and do it all locally. And company executives say it's a system that could work anywhere in the world. VOA's Steve Baragona has more.
Freshly-fried potato chips are a hot item at Cork² Street Tavern³ in Winchester, Virginia. They come with the barbecued ribs⁴ and many of the other meals.
Kitchen manager Chris Bennett buys his fryer oil from Shenandoah Agricultural Products, a small company just a few kilometers away.
After the restaurant has fried all it can with the oil, Shenandoah has plans for it.
"They're going to turn it into biodiesel," noted⁵ Bennett.
Biodiesel is diesel fuel made from plants, not petroleum⁶. Shenandoah runs its farm equipment with it. And Diane Kearns runs the company.
"Humans and everything that goes on are just part of a bigger picture," said Kearns. "And so, if we can do things sustainably, environmentally, that's really a huge help. Everything has to work economically, too."
Farming is on the decline in this area as the suburbs gradually encroach. Kearns says she wants to find a way to keep local agriculture in business while helping⁷ the environment. She thinks biofuel crops might help. But she says she is not in it for the money.
"The reason for doing this is not to make a million dollars," added Kearns. "The reason to do this is to empower local ag[riculture] and prove you can be sustainable with this kind of stuff."
Biodiesel is a growing worldwide industry. But Kearns and her partners are different. They do it all: Kearns grows canola. Her partner Josh Leidhecker makes it into the fryer oil they sell to local restaurants.
"It contains canola oil, hard work, and American pride," noted Leidhecker.
Then they take the used oil back and turn it into biodiesel fuel in a system Leidhecker designed and built himself.
"I am a backwoods engineer," Leidhecker explained. "That being said, I don't have any formal training in engineering. I've always just been intuitive in figuring things out."
He even figured out a way to put it all inside the back of a tractor-trailer.
"We wanted to design a system that was truly mobile, that we could take to the consumer and produce the fuel for them on site," Leidhecker added.
And since it is mobile, and the chemical process is simple, he says it could work anywhere in the world where farmers have an oilseed crop.
Kearns says the system is economical, too. Their biodiesel costs about the same to make as the regular diesel fuel they buy.
"With a little bit of profit margin⁸ in there, the cost is coming out pretty darn close," said Kearns. "Which I'm really psyched about."
They can even sell their vegetable oil for less than their competitors. Which means Chris Bennett is pretty excited, too.
"I think it's a great idea, especially with gas costing more than milk now," said Bennett. "It's going to save us money, save them money, and help the environment as well."
All that, and help local farmers, too.

1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

3 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

4 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。