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Transport Topics: " Opinion: Comparing Biodiesel With Diesel Fuel "
Updated on 1/2/2002 - 10:00:00 AM EST
Opinion: Comparing Biodiesel With Diesel Fuel
By Paul Henderson
An option submitted in August by John Hausladen of the Minnesota
Trucking Association makes several negative remarks about biodiesel
and the biodiesel industry ("Biodiesel: Some Promise and Some
Questions," 8-6, p. 9). While the intent of the Hausladen article was
perhaps to raise objective questions about the alternative fuel, many
of the points presented have no basis in fact. I would like to shed
light on some of the misinformation.
Hausladen states that the Minnesota Trucking Association was "unable
to find reliable third-party data that were not somehow connected to
soybean money." This is peculiar, because the U.S. Department of
Energy, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Caterpillar Inc., University of California-Davis, Colorado School of
Mines and Stanadyne Automotive Corp. are just some of the
institutions that have conducted performance and emissions studies on
biodiesel and don't have any connection to soybean or biodiesel
industry money.
Information gathered from these studies shows that biodiesel works in
any diesel engine, usually with no modifications necessary to the
engine, and that biodiesel offers comparable performance to diesel
while reducing emissions. In Stanadyne's tests, biodiesel was found
to have superior lubricity in addition to its other positive
performance characteristics. As a result, Stanadyne submitted
comments to the Environmental Protection Agency to encourage the
blending of biodiesel into all ultra-low-sulfur diesel.
Also, the studies mentioned above show a significant reduction in
emissions such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide, unburned hydrocarbons and sulfates. All of these independent
studies are available on the National Biodiesel Board Web site,
www.biodiesel.org. NBB is a nonprofit organization that has earned
significant credibility as the coordinator of biodiesel research,
pubilc information and industry activity.
Hausladen's editorial also states that biodiesel supporters have been
"unable to produce real-life fleet operational data." A wide variety
of fleets have used biodiesel successfully in more than 40 million
over-the-road miles. More than 100 major fleets use it today,
including state transportation fleets, national park fleets and
private fleets. While it is true that biodiesel is currently mostly
used by centrally fueled fleets, there are many cases of successful
use in over-the-road tractor-trailers, too.
For example, a study published in 2000 by West Virginia University
and DOE, titled "Emissions from Nine Heavy Trucks Fueled by Diesel
and Biodiesel Blends Without Engine Modification," states that "the
nine tractor trucks tested were powered by Cummins 855 engines made
in the late 1980s and DDC series 60 engines built in the 1990s. No
engine or fueling system modifications were made on the vehicles to
run on biodiesel. All vehicles performed well when fueled with
biodiesel blends, and no fuel-related problems were observed during
tests."
A study completed in 1998 by the University of Idaho in association
with Caterpillar and the potato company J.R. Simplot tested B50 --
50% biodiesel, 50% petroleum diesel -- in a tractor-trailer using a
Caterpillar 3406E 435-horsepower engine. Simplot used the truck in
daily operations from the company's Caldwell plant. Over the course
of this 200,000-mile over-the-road truck demonstration, 12,000
gallons of biodiesel were used. The final report said the engine was
power-tested on a chasses dynamometer at Western States Caterpillar
truck shop in Boise, Idaho, and that "oil analyses have shown no
irregular metals or contaminants [that] would indicate unusual wear;
some fuel dilution of the lubricating oil is noted over the 40,234 km
(25,000 miles) between oil changes. The dynamometer tests have not
shown any unusual operational problems. Power has been maintained at
or above initial test levels. The injector cutout test shows an even
balance between all cylinders."
Additionally, several fleets are using biodiesel in tractor-trailers
in daily operations, including the public utility company Georgia
Power. Tony Saxon, alternative fuel vehicle supervisor with the
company, says 12 over-the-road tractor-trailers averaging about
40,000 miles a year have performed well on B20 for the past two
years. Rockland Materials, a concrete company in Phoenix, uses pure
biodiesel (B100). Company President Ed Belt says Rockland uses B100
in five over-the-road tractor-trailers that each drive about 600
miles a day. He says that biodiesel performs just fine and the
drivers have "noticed no difference."
Just about any fleet manager who has had experience with biodiesel
will relate a positive experience. The long-haul trucking industry
has not had much experience with biodiesel yet, simply because it is
not available at every public pump cross-country. As the nation
struggles with energy security and environmental issues, biodiesel is
bound to become increasingly popular. The hard-working truckers of
America have nothing to fear. It has been thoroughly tested both in
independent laboratories and by fleets throughout the country that
are using biodiesel with great success.
The writer is chairman of the Diesel Fuel Injection Equipment
Standards Committee of the Society of Automotive Engineers and a
former quality management systems manager for Stanadyne Automotive
Corp., a maker of diesel fuel injection equipment.
This story appeared in the Dec. 31 print edition of Transport Topics.
Subscribe today.
© 2002 American Trucking Associations, Inc.,
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