Through an initiative spearheaded by graduate student Wally Morris II, RPI will be supporting a pilot program for the use of biodiesel in its shuttles. Currently, RPI owns two diesel-powered shuttles and five gasoline-powered shuttles. The new plan would allow for the shuttles and possibly other heavy equipment to operate purely on biodiesel generated on campus.
Biodiesel is created from the used vegetable frying oil used for cooking in many restaurants and by Sodexho here on campus. The process involves mixing methanol with a catalyst such as lye. This solution is then mixed with used frying oil. This mixture settles into usable fuel after about six hours. The process is inexpensive because the oil that is required can be obtained for free from restaurants that would otherwise throw away the oil. As well, some of the materials are reusable, making it cheaper to produce successive batches of biodiesel. The entire process can be done in bulk, reducing the time and costs required in producing large amounts of fuel.
Biodiesel is not a new technology. It has been recognized by the federal government as an alternative fuel for over a decade. RPI is not the only school that is considering using biodiesel in its shuttles. Some other colleges that are currently using biodiesel include The University of Colorado at Boulder, Purdue, and Harvard. Benefits of biodiesel include greatly reduced emissions. In studies done by the EPA recently, biodiesel was found to emit up to 50 percent less particles and carbon monoxide, and 67 percent less unburned hydrocarbons than conventional diesel fuels. The Department of Energy in a joint study with the Department of Agriculture has found that, in the lifecycle of fuels, for every one unit of fossil fuel energy used to make biodiesel, 3.2 units of energy are gained. In contrast, it takes 1.2 units of energy to produce one unit of petrodiesel energy.
Biodiesel also works in all conventional diesel engines without any need for modification. The main drawback of concern in colder climates is that biodiesel gels at a higher temperature than its conventional counterpart: around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This problem can be minimized by modifying the fuel system slightly to ensure that the fuel doesn’t gel. Biodiesel also offers superior lubricity and greater horsepower and torque over its petroleum based counterpart.
Morris has been operating two diesel vehicles for the past four and a half years on biodiesel he creates in his own home. According to research he has done, the amount of oil that Sodexho produces would be more than enough to power the two current diesel shuttles and could be easily expanded to accommodate a larger diesel shuttle fleet. In his experience with biodiesel, Morris said that it is possible for a diesel engine to achieve up to two times as much fuel efficiency than a gasoline engine operated in conditions similar to how the shuttles are driven. Overall, by Morris’ calculations, biodiesel can be as cheap as 40 cents per gallon to produce. In the current market, this is much cheaper than the national average price for diesel of 2.13 dollars per gallon.
In a bill signed into law by President Bush on October 22, 2004, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 includes a section that provides a tax credit to producers of biodiesel of up to one dollar per gallon of biodiesel produced. The law also allows for this credit to be clamed in both taxable and non-taxable markets.
