In support of the University of Florida’s commitment to conservation of resources and campus sustainability, Physical Plant Division has begun offering alternatives to petroleum-based products at the Motor Pool fuel pumps. PPD recently completed testing the alternative fuel bio-diesel in several fleet vehicles, including a full-size Dodge truck and a commercial lawn mower. Bio-diesel is refined from used vegetable oil (such as frying oil from restaurants), and offers much lower airborne waste emissions than standard diesel fuel.
“We’ve all seen the black clouds of smoke from 18-wheel trucks accelerating,” said Motor Pool Maintenance Superintendent Jon Priest. “Those clouds are particle emissions from the burning fuel – with bio-diesel we get a reduced amount of those emissions, and less waste introduced into the atmosphere.”
After testing the fuel for a month, PPD found no problems with performance or mileage, and will soon begin dispensing a blend of 20% bio-diesel and 80% regular diesel to diesel-burning fleet vehicles. This mixture, according to Priest, is optimum for both reducing emissions and preventing wear and tear on engines.
“At the moment, there are disclaimers from the major diesel engine manufacturers that, while their engines will run on bio-diesel, they don’t recommend using more than a 20% blend, ” he explained. “Using a higher percentage will invalidate our warranties on those engines, and that’s a risk we don’t want to take at the current time. However, this blend will still effectively reduce waste emissions from diesel-burning vehicles on campus, and as engine technology improves, we can work towards using higher percentages of bio-diesel.”
Meanwhile, on August 30, PPD unveiled a brand new 2000-gallon ethanol tank. Ethanol, a vegetable-derived alternative to regular gasoline, will now be offered at Motor Pool gas pumps on a full-time basis. The alternative fuel, commonly manufactured from corn, produces less air pollution than gasoline, with little to no reduction in vehicle performance.
“There are between 45-50 vehicles currently on campus that are capable of burning ethanol,” said Priest. “Right now our price (per gallon of ethanol) is higher than the price of gasoline, but as technology improves for ethanol production, and it becomes more widely used, the cost is expected to fall steeply. But at the same time, our main focus right now is not necessarily price reduction, but reduction of our consumption of gasoline.”
“The introduction of ethanol and bio-diesel at our pumps represents a major step forward in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels,” said Physical Plant Director Dave O’Brien. “PPD is committed to finding alternatives to petroleum to fuel our campus fleet. We are working hard to increase the long-term sustainability of our campus, and reducing our dependence on dwindling traditional fuel sources is an important aspect of that sustainability.”