Success Stories: DOL Becomes Alternative Fuel Pioneer

The Office Services unit within Administrative Services recently launched a pioneering program to help preserve our environment. The group has started using an alternative fuel called biodiesel to power a truck they use to move furniture all over the state.

Biodiesel is clean-burning fuel refined from fresh or recycled animal and vegetable oils. While biodiesel doesn't contain any petroleum, it can be mixed with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. The truck Office Services is using, a 1991 Ford they call "Big Brown," runs on a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel.

Calls to many other state agencies suggest that DOL is the first agency to begin using biodiesel. This research indicated that while other agencies have discussed it, none of them have solid plans to start using it.

The truck didn't have to be modified to run the biodiesel blend, and there hasn't been any indication of trouble associated with using it. There hasn't been any noticeable decrease in power, but there has been a very noticeable difference in the truck's exhaust, said Neil Woody of Office Services. The exhaust smells cleaner and, when starting the truck in the morning, big puffs of black smoke have been replaced with small puffs of white smoke, he said.

Using biodiesel costs the agency about 18 cents more per gallon, but the environmental benefits are significant. The exhaust emissions from the 20 percent biodiesel blend, referred to as B20, has 20 percent less unburned hydrocarbons than regular diesel and carbon monoxide and particulate matter are each cut by 12 percent. Using biodiesel also greatly reduces cancer-causing chemicals in the exhaust.

Biodiesel is also a much safer fuel to store that regular diesel. According to the Biodiesel.org Website, it is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades faster than sugar.

I drank the stuff," Woody said. "It doesn't taste very good, but it's amazing how safe it is."

For more about Biodiesel, check out the following:

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