Southern Pump & Tank Company (SPATCO) is a Charlotte, N.C.-based company that supplies a complete line of equipment and services throughout the southeast for storing, pumping, mixing, and metering petroleum and biofuels. SPATCO develops fuel systems for renewable fuels including ethanol and biodiesel blends as well as industrial fluids such as diesel exhaust fluid. SPATCO develops blender systems for commercial fleet companies, and distributes the Dresser Wayne blender pump, EcoBlend, to consumer filling stations.

Fuel dispenser offering E85, E30, and E15

Blender pumps are fuel dispensers found at consumer filling stations that draw fuel from two separate storage tanks - one containing E10 and the other E85 - and which can dispense preprogrammed blends of those two fuels, for example, E15, E30 and E85. While blender pump dispensers have been commonly used to dispense conventional fuels, the application of this technology for ethanol has generated a lot of interest because of its ability to provide consumers with choices at the pump. From a business standpoint, the pumps offer product flexibility to the filling station owner for improved profitability and at the same time allow flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) drivers the option of choosing which ethanol blend they prefer - at various price points.

As consumer demand for ethanol increases, more retail fueling stations will make the business decision to offer custom ethanol blends at the pump to differentiate themselves from the competition across the road.  SPATCO has worked with several innovative convenience store owners in North Carolina to install these types of dispensers. One such station is Magnolia Marketplace in Magnolia, N.C., which opened in April 2011 with one of sixteen E85 dispensers for motorists in the state. SPATCO was contracted to install the UL-approved Dresser Wayne Ovation E85 dispenser, with funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Another SPATCO customer taking the lead in the renewable fuels marketplace is Sparky’s, owned by Hill Oil Company in Lexington, N.C., which opened in June 2011. Sparky’s installed two UL-approved Dresser Wayne Ovation EcoBlend dispensers, giving their customers the ability to choose their desired ethanol blend: E10, E15, E30, or E85. The store also installed two Ovation dispensers for diesel and bio-diesel.

For additional information, visit www.southernpump.com.

Fuel dispenser offering E85, E30, and E15

Biofuels Center's Steven Burke Testifies at House Energy & Environment Subcommittee E15 Hearing
Biofuels Center President Steven Burke testified about North Carolina's comprehensive approach to biofuels industry development to a House Subcommittee...... 

+ Read More

Biofuels Center's Steven Burke joins Energy Secretary Chu for Energy Round Table session
Biofuels Center President Steven Burke joined U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu for a regional round table on energy policy in Charlotte... 

+ Read More

Biofuels Center scouts suitable sites in North Carolina for biofuels production facilities (The News & Observer)
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership is one of seven regional groups across the state selected by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina to identify sites suitable for a biofuels production facility... 

+ Read More

Triad's first biofuels service station opens in Lexington, NC  (Greensboro News & Record)
The Triad's first biodiesel and ethanol service station operated by Hill Oil Company celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony July 15... 

+ Read More

Biodiesel shipment could be first step in providing renewable fuels to military base in North Carolina (ENC Today)
A delivery aboard Camp Lejeune Monday morning marked the culmination of a test project to provide renewable fuels for North Carolina’s military... 

+ Read More

Appalachian State University, Catawba County biodiesel research & development unit to open August 15th  (Biofuels Digest)
In North Carolina, Appalachian State University and Catawba County have set a date for the grand opening of their Biodiesel Research, Development, and Production Facility: August 15th... 

+ Read More

NC counties compete for Chemtex advanced biofuels project (Biofuels Digest)
In North Carolina, Sampson County is in competition with Wayne County for attracting Chemtex for a 20 MGy, energy grass cellulosic ethanol plant... 

+ Read More

North Carolina county seeks grant to fund biodiesel production facility (Jones County Post)
A proposal sponsored by the Jones County Board of Commissioners could help alleviate fuel concerns for both the county and the six area military bases... 

+ Read More

USDA says biofuels are not driving food prices (Biofuels Digest)
In Washington, a new report from USDA examines the rise in food commodity prices, including factors such as demand, weather, energy prices, trade and monetary policies, and biofuels...

+ Read More

Energy concerns could make Panetta first 'green' Department of Defense chief (Greenwire)
When Leon Panetta was sworn in as the 23rd Secretary of Defense, he inherited a force that is more fuel-dependent than ever -- a fact that those inside the Pentagon increasingly say underlies the budgetary and battlefield issues that will consume his attention...

+ Read More

U.S. to help finance country's first cellulosic ethanol plant (Reuters)  
The Energy Department on Thursday provided a $105 million conditional loan guarantee to help finance the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the country...

+ Read More

OPEC net oil export revenues are projected to exceed $1 trillion in 2011  (Energy Information Administration)
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could earn $1,028 billion of net oil export revenues in 2011 and $1,108 billion in 2012... 

+ Read More

DSM strengthens yeast technology leadership for second generation biofuels (DSM)
Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, today announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire C5 Yeast Company B.V. (Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands) from Royal Cosun...

+ Read More

Lufthansa begins world's first regular biofuel flights (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Lufthansa, Europe's second-largest airline, became the first carrier in the world to offer regular scheduled flights running on biofuel, with four daily round trips between Hamburg and Frankfurt...

+ Read More

World's top eco-car wins using ethanol, gets 1,197 miles per gallon  (PR Newswire)
The biofuel powered the winning car in the Urban Concepts class of the 2011 Shell Eco-marathon in Europe, setting a new record at 1,197 miles per gallon (509 km/l), adjusted for energy equivalence with gasoline...

+ Read More

A public education campaign about biofuels in the first quarter of 2011 reached 82% of the 18+ licensed drivers in NC, a total of 4.95 million people.  The Biofuels Center broadcast a series of 12 TV public service announcements (PSAs) in which members of the public shared their opinions about the benefits and importance of biofuels to North Carolina. More than 550 clips were shot at State Fair in 2010 and the twelve 30-second PSAs were selected from that footage.  From January to March 2011, the twelve PSAs were broadcast in the five most populated areas in the state: Charlotte, Winston Salem/Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Asheville.

Of the 4,953,695* licensed drivers over the age of 18 in the state, the media campaign reached 82%**.  The media campaign resonated with the public, with thousands of people visiting the NC Biofuels  website and signing up on its Facebook page.  Traffic to the NC Biofuels' Facebook page increased by over 2000% and created an ongoing forum for discussion and education with motorists of North Carolina.

The TV media campaign is part of the Biofuels Center's Advancing Public Education project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy dollars and provided through the State Energy Office. Outreach, education, and information is part of how the Biofuels Center is implementing Strategy 8 of North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership.  This initiative allows drivers, citizens and consumers to be able to make educated choices about the fuels they use in their daily driving, where they come from, and the impact petroleum dependence has on the North Caroling economy.

The multimarket broadcast media buy was negotiated, placed, and monitored by Effective Media Solutions, a Charlotte-based company.

*Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation
**Gross Rating Points (GRPs) achieved during the advertising flight; figures from Nielssen. 

The Biofuels Wiki is a one-stop, collaborative site where reliable knowledge about liquid renewable fuels can be found—think of it as a biofuels encyclopedia on the Internet. To add or edit content on the site, click here to register.


Arundo donax
Arundo donax is a tall perennial energy cane that is being researched as a potential biomass crop for cellulosic ethanol production in North Carolina...

+ Read More

Aviation fuels ASTM standards
A new annex set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) will set fuel properties for fuel derived from biomass feedstocks such as camelina, jatropha or algae, as well as production control criteria of the fuel for aviation use...

+ Read More

Eucalyptus trees
Lignin-modified Eucalyptus trees release more than twice the usual amount of sugar, making it a promising option as a biomass feedstock for liquid fuel...

+ Read More

Crude oil
Crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds...

+ Read More

+ Read More

+ Read More