Sustainable Biodiesel Made in Austin

From Austin Chronicle, November 28, 2008...

In 2006, Austin had more biodiesel pumps than any other U.S. city, a distinction that owed much to Jeff Plowman, who co-founded Austin Biofuels in 2003 with mechanical engineer Kurt Lyell and diesel mechanic (and beer brewer) Robby Plenge. Plowman had discovered biodiesel almost by accident in 1999, while handcrafting soap for his previous business, Herbal Soapworks.

Batches would sometimes go wrong, leaving a watery layer of oil that was essentially biodiesel. Plowman tried the home-brewed fuel in his diesel van -- it worked, and before long, he was building Austin's biodiesel market from scratch, as Austin Biofuels. The company opened Texas' first public biodiesel pump in 2003 and by 2006 had built an estimated customer base of 200 customers, with sales of 20,000 gallons a month. The heyday, however, was short-lived.

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