Solid Waste has recently joined Public Utilities and Central Services in a Biodiesel Pilot Project to test the performance of ACC vehicles when using biodiesel fuel. After looking into and experimenting with alternatively fueled vehicles, ACC is now able to cost-effectively begin a pilot program with existing vehicles and resources.

Biodiesel is a combination of petroleum-based diesel fuel and waste oil, such as vegetable or cooking oil from restaurants. At present, the biodiesel fuel being used in the ACC vehicles is called B-5, which is a mixture of 5 percent waste vegetable oil and 95 percent diesel fuel. Use of higher grades of biodiesel such as B-10 or B-20 may be a future possibility.

A lack of available biofuel vendors and the cost associated with transport of biodiesel once made using this fuel less than feasible, but local fuel retailer Boswell Oil now mixes and sells biodiesel blends of any percentage. Once the decision was made to try biodiesel, a group of vehicles was proposed that met specific criteria. Vehicles were chosen based on the average amount of fuel used in a two-week period, the customer’s home base proximity, and whether using biodiesel would be allowed under warranty.

The initial list of compliant vehicles included 20 trucks from several departments: Solid Waste (Residential, Downtown and Leaf & Limb), Central Services (Landscape Management) and Public Utilities (Water & Sewer).

The initial B-5 pilot program is slated to run for six months. At the end of that time, vehicle data will be compiled and operators will be interviewed for their thoughts on the fuel’s performance. Further use of higher percentage blends will be based on the pilot program findings. B-5 biodiesel is currently priced the same as low sulfur diesel. It is too soon to tell how long term cost savings will relate to vehicle performance.

Environmental Protection Agency evaluations show that emissions in vehicles using biodiesel blends will see reductions in the following areas: hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. A high percentage of biofuels correlates directly to a greater reduction in emissions.

For more information about the pilot project, contact Steve Hinsch (Fleet Management) at 706-613-3447.