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The Internet is chock-full of sites with great information on biofuels and related careers. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Renewable Fuels Association
http://www.ethanolrfa.org

• National Corn Growers Association
http://www.ncga.com

• U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.eere.energy.gov

• To sample the field’s many
current job openings, check out
http://www.ethanol-jobs.com and
http://www.biodiesel-jobs.com

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FFA Feature

Biofuels Mean Business

Alternative fuel translates to more jobs for graduates

It doesn’t work quite this way, but corn can be processed into fuel for vehicles.

November 2007

Plant operations manager. Grain procurement specialist. Environmental, health and safety manager. Engineer. Plumber. Farmer.

It’s certainly a diverse list of job titles. But get this: Thanks to one of the most promising developments in alternative energy, they’re actually all related. Each of these jobs deals with biofuels.

In case you’re not familiar with this new buzzword in agriculture, here is an explanation.

Biofuel is, well, a type of fuel, and it’s used just like conventional fuel. Like gasoline, the biofuel ethanol can be used to fuel a car.
For example, you might see “E10” or “E85” at the pump, which means that it’s ethanol blended with gasoline, and the number indicates the percentage of ethanol added. Like regular diesel fuel, biodiesel, often labeled as “B20” or “B100,” is another type of biofuel that can power a diesel engine. Unlike most fuels, however, biofuels are made from renewable resources that are replenished just as fast as they’re used up. Biofuels are derived from biomass, which includes crops like corn and soybeans, organic waste from livestock, or even wood chips.

While the world’s supply of oil, used in the production of conventional fuels, grows scarcer by the day, its supply of biomass is unlimited. Another advantage to biofuels is in how they burn. They’re cleaner than oil-based fuels. Because they pollute less, they’re better for the environment.

Opportunity Knocks
Consider this: The United States now produces more than 5 billion gallons of ethanol and 600 million gallons of biodiesel every year. That’s just a drop in the bucket compared to petroleum fuels, but those numbers are on the rise. There are currently 119 ethanol plants (up from just 50 in 1999) in 26 states. Nearly 90 more are under construction. Plants for producing biodiesel are also being built, and demand for all biofuels is at an all-time high.

According to biofuels expert Dr. Klein Ileleji, if you’re looking for a job, or will be soon, this is all great news. An assistant professor at Purdue University, Ileleji says there are countless ways to get in on the action.

“Much of the work is in the production process,” Ileleji explains. “You’ll find positions working in refineries, in handling and processing, and in process control. Operations personnel are needed to run the plants. And then there are all the mechanical aspects of production, which also need workers – maintenance, plumbing, welding.”

Ileleji says safety and environmental experts are also needed to make sure the conversion plants, which rely on complex chemical processes to turn the stored energy (from the sun) in biomass into usable fuels, run smoothly, cleanly and safely.

In addition to these jobs, the industry needs construction professionals to build the plants, engineers to put everything together, scientists to develop more efficient means of conversion, and people to transport and deliver the finished product to fueling stations. And then, of course, there are the growers.

“Someone has to grow the fodder,” says Ileleji. For farmers growing corn, soybeans, or a number of other crops, biofuels present a great opportunity.

“The market for what growers produce is only getting bigger,” says Ileleji.

Getting There
If you decide to pursue a biofuels-related career, you may wind up at a well-known company like Archer Daniels Midland, or maybe at a growing company like US BioEnergy, e85 or Marquis Energy LLC. But getting there will take time, says Ileleji.

“For now,” he says, “focus on doing well in school. For many positions, it’s important to have a strong science background – especially in chemistry and biology.”

You can land a position in the industry with any number of educational degrees. A high school graduate might find himself working on plant construction or any of the labor-intensive jobs required to keep the nuts and bolts of a biofuels operation in good running order.

College grads could land a job among the operations personnel, running the plants themselves. Those with graduate-level degrees would typically take jobs in research – looking for new uses for biofuels and sources of biomass or developing efficient conversion processes.

Whatever your future, if you pursue a career in biofuels, your agriculture background will help.

“You as FFA members are perfectly poised,” says Ileleji. “You understand how something you grow can be turned into a useful product. That gives you a great advantage when it comes to finding a job.”

Story by Chris Hayhurst

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