April 2011 – Originally published in GLITR

A company in Detroit is taking biofuels and clean diesels from laboratory experiment to the mass market. Oliver Baer's Clean Emission Fluids Inc. is building devices called FAST stations (pictured below) that can be quickly installed at fueling stations to dispense both Diesel Exhaust Fluid — fluids that must be used by new diesel trucks' exhaust systems to meet new emissions standards — and custom-blended biofuels for their engines. Baer is a Detroit native who attended University of Detroit High School and the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), then worked in the auto industry designing and building assembly lines and in spare parts distribution systems. But by the mid-2000s he said he saw trouble ahead in the auto industry, "and I saw an opportunity in new emissions standards and new fuels. I developed a business plan around distribution of new diesel exhaust fluid for the new 2010 standards."

Baer said he began working with the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center, “with Phil Tepley and Carol Lopucki and their team, on what was the real opportunity."

That led to a linkup with NextEnergy, the state's renewable and alternative energy research center, where Clean Emission Fluids would eventually install their first station. It also led to a move into distributing and selling not just diesel exhaust fluids, but biodiesel fuel too. Baer said that the fledgling company began working with the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory, which is also based at NextEnergy. And the biofuels lab "asked ifour stations could dispense not only exhaust fluids, but also provide on-demand biodiesel blending."

Baer said the company found through laboratory research that cold-weather usability issues could be solved through properly blended fuels.

The company conducted a two-year pilot project for biodiesel with the delivery trucks of Art Van furniture stores. Most recently, Clean Emission Fluids has installed three new emission fluid stations at Meijer Inc. distribution centers in Lansing and Newport.

"Meijer is seeing a pretty significant savings" from the Clean Emission Fluids system, Baer said.

Today, Baer said, the company is looking to the next generation of biofuels, moving beyond food-based feedstocks like soybeans into feedstocks that aren't used for anything else, like the pennycress plant.

Baer said the SBTDC "helped us align where our company was and where the opportunities are, honing down and road mapping the opportunities. I can't speak highly enough about what the SBTDC has done for our company, and would highly recommend other companies use SBTDC for road mapping success."

More at www.cleanemissionfluids.com.

The MI-SBTDC not only assists innovative technology companies like Clean Emission Fluid Inc but it also serves Michigan's manufacturers and growing second stage companies, as well as startups and other existing small businesses. To learn about MI-SBTDC services for your business, please visit www.misbtdc.org.