Biodiesel fuels a KU test trial
University uses older buses to test effects on engines
By Estuardo Garcia (Contact)
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005
Soon the campus will be filled with the fragrant spring aromas of freshly-cut grass, irises and french fries.
Tomorrow the Jayhawk Express bus route and the Naismith/Oliver bus routes will start a two-week trial test of a type of diesel fuel made with soybean oil.
Blake Huff, Larned senior and campus transportation coordinator, said KU on Wheels was looking for a fuel source that was more environmentally friendly.
The fuel will be tested on older buses to see what effect it will have on the engines, Huff said.
The biodiesel fuel the University will use is a mixture of 80 percent number one diesel fuel, a more refined and more expensive type of diesel, and 20 percent soybean oil. More commonly, the 20 to 80 percent mixture is called B20.
One of the problems that keeps schools from switching over to biodiesel fuel is balancing between the advantages of the fuel and its cost.
“One of the biggest advantages is that it is a renewable resource,” said Kyle McNorton, manager for Capital City Oil, Inc., in Topeka.
The company is mixing the oil for the University.
He said the aroma that the gas produced reminded him of french fries, but it wasn’t overpowering.
The new fuel acts as a detergent that cleans out the fuel pumps and also gives the buses “more punch per gallon,” McNorton said.
But, he said the fuel was significantly more expensive than regular diesel.
Yesterday, the price for a gallon of number one diesel fuel was $2.50 and the price for 100 percent biodiesel was $3.75 per gallon. Because the fuel mixes 80 percent of the number one diesel and 20 percent of the biodiesel, the cost of B20 was about $2.75 per gallon.
Last week KU on Wheels purchased the number one diesel at $2.55 per gallon.
Another cost that the University will face with the testing of the B20 fuel is the initial upkeep.
In the long run, the detergent and lubricative properties of the biodiesel will help keep the bus engines running longer, but fuel filters will become clogged more often due to the cleaning.
Capital City Oil is selling the fuel to the University at a discounted price — $50 per week more than the regular price of fuel.
“That’s one thing I think is great about implementing the program now,” said Jeff Dunlap, former student body vice president. “Cost isn’t that much of a concern at this point because, as the price of regular fuel goes up, the cost of the biodiesel goes comparatively lower.”
Dunlap also said that logistical problems, such as locating a temporary fuel tank and massive amounts of paperwork, had slowed down the process, which was one of KUnited’s platform issues last year.
He said he hoped that the trial run would convince everybody on campus to switch to the cleaner burning fuel.
— Edited by Ross Fitch
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