Good fuel choices help kids breathe easier
“Biodiesel is excellent for your kids, your community, and your country,” said Steve Howell, technical director for the National Biodiesel Board. “It’s a proven product that’s had $60 million worth of research and testing. It can improve the health and safety of your children. Biodiesel reduces greenhouse gases and global warming. It’s good for economic development. And it helps to enhance our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”
Howell, who has also chaired the ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials International) Task Force for Biodiesel Standards since 1994, delivered his remarks to an audience of school transportation directors April 24 at the annual conference of the School Transportation Association of Indiana in
Regarding student health, Howell cited research findings showing that B20 significantly reduced hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, when compared to regular diesel fuel.
“When you burn B20 in your buses, you reduce particulate matter emissions and that makes it significantly easier for the kids to breathe,” stated Howell. Asthma is the number one cause for school absenteeism in this country. Better attendance means improved educational effectiveness and school funding.
He also said that given the current economic, environmental, and international climate, the use of biodiesel blends has skyrocketed since 2005. As a result, some of the oils typically used to produce biodiesel, specifically soybean oil in Indiana, have gone from being a surplus byproduct to becoming scarce and more expensive. Howell indicated that in order to meet the burgeoning demand for biodiesel expected in the future and remain competitive in price, different types of feedstocks would need to be used, including animal fats and used cooking grease from fast food restaurants.
“Other feedstocks can be used to produce a perfectly good, high-quality biodiesel,” stated Howell. “But you need to be sure it meets ASTM standard D6751. There are other products out there that are cheaper. But if they don’t meet 6751, then they’re not biodiesel, and they have all caused serious problems in diesel engines.”
Howell indicated that all original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) now support the use of B5, with many more, including Cummins, New Holland, and Caterpillar, supporting B20 that meets ASTM standards.
At the conclusion of Howell’s presentation, a member of the audience asked about biodiesel’s cold weather properties, which has been a concern in the past. Howell indicated that those problems had been resolved.
“In Indiana, B20 can work year-round if your petroleum company knows what it’s doing and how to blend it,” responded Howell.
Following Howell’s presentation, CountryMark vice president of marketing Jon Lantz commented that one of CountryMark’s goals is to provide technical leadership and understanding to biofuels customers and prospective users.
“Steve Howell is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the use of biodiesel-blended fuels for school transportation,” stated Lantz. “We feel that B20 is a solid recommendation for the school bus market, primarily because of its air quality benefits, and we thought it was important to provide that kind of technical information to this audience.”
Lantz said that CountryMark is committed to grow and develop the biodiesel-blended fuels business in the company’s branded dealer network trade area. He indicated that biodiesel has performed very well, has a proven track record from an emissions and MPG standpoint, and is a good match with the company’s line of petroleum diesel fuels.
Lantz also indicated that CountryMark was currently considering the use of biodiesel made from other feedstocks in addition to soy oil, in order to keep prices competitive. He explained that the cost of biodiesel fluctuates with the price of feedstocks, and the recent significant rise in the price of soybeans currently has the price of the company’s biodiesel blends running about “a penny a percent” more than the cost of their non-blended diesel fuels. Nevertheless, he felt the benefits of biodiesel-blended fuels made them an excellent value, and stated that tools were in place to help school corporations take some of the uncertainty out of the fuel-purchasing decisions.
“Our branded dealers have risk-management tools available to work with fuel buyers from school corporations,” stated Lantz. “For example, forward contracting can change fuel purchases from a variable to a fixed cost, allowing for more effective management of school fuel budgets.”
Caption: Meet the Clean, Green Fuel Team! Leading Indiana’s biodiesel charge are (left to right): Steve Thomas, and Joe Rollins, CountryMark; Steve Howell, National Biodiesel Board; and Jon Lantz, CountryMark.
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