In February of 2008, green entrepreneurs Brian Talbert and Gabe Neeriemer started Patriot Bio-diesel on Chimney Rock Road in Greensboro. After months of testing and certification, they began selling bio-diesel fuel in January of this year. Their customers include Marathon gas stations and the city of Winston-Salem. They would like to sell their product to their hometown government, which boasts of having 809 bio-diesel powered vehicles. Brian and Gabe may have to wait a while.
Although the City of Greensboro began using bio-diesel in 2002 and even though the City Council passed a resolution in support of greenhouse gas reduction that specifically called for converting vehicles from diesel to bio-diesel, Greensboro has stopped purchasing bio-diesel.
According to Steve Simpson with Equipment Services for the City, Greensboro stopped purchasing B-20 bio-diesel (20% bio-diesel) in December of 2007 and stopped purchasing B-5 bio-diesel in September of 2008. Simpson says the decision was made because the fuel was causing equipment failure during cooler temperatures. "We have experienced engine shutdown and damage to the fuel systems resulting in extensive repairs," he wrote in an email.
Patriot Bio-diesel's Talbert says this could be caused by gelling, a problem that occurs in some kinds of bio-diesel fuels as they begin to solidify in colder temperatures. Talbert wasn't sure, but he thought the City might have been buying bio-diesel made from chicken fat, a product better suited for warmer climates.
Simpson wrote that the City might consider using B-5 in the summer, but adds, "We are very concerned about the lack of regulation to manufacture bio-diesel, additional maintenance cost and dependability of the public safety vehicles."
Talbert says his fuels are manufactured from vegetable oil and use a process called cold soak filtration that make his bio-diesel less prone to gelling. He also says his fuels conform to ASTM D 6751 standards -- required by the IRS for alternative fuel tax deductions. These new standards, updated last fall, certify a fuel as usable in unmodified diesel engines.
Another issue is that bio-diesel becomes more cost-competitive the more expensive regular diesel is. Bio-diesel starts to undercut the cost of diesel when diesel reaches $3/gallon and above. Currently, however, diesel is about $2.05/gallon and bio-diesel is around $2.75.
It would be great if Greensboro could find its way back to using bio-diesel. It would be even greater if it could do so by supporting a local green company. Obviously, that cannot happen at the expense of fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers. Perhaps Patriot Bio-diesel offers a fuel superior to that which was causing the City problems. It sounds to me like it's worth a look.
[Tip of the hat to Billy, who first let us know the City had stopped buying bio-diesel]
As one who now has over 35 years of wxperience with diesel engines I can point to many cases of fuel gelling when using 100% petro-based diesel fuels. As a matter of fact, anti-gelling additives are added to most fuel oils at the refinery and can be bought off the shelf at any auto parts store, Walmart, truck stop, gas stations and other places.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while modern fuels have no water in them, an open fuel cap can allow enough water in the tank to freeze a fuel line. And the cure for thawing a frozen fuel line is the same as the cure for gelled fuel-- a little alcohol or special purpose additives.
As a matter of fact, just this past winter we had a diesel forklift with gelled diesel and we've yet to buy any bio-diesel.