Enviromentor | Earth-friendly biodiesel fuels machinery

As fuel prices across the country shot up to well over $3 per gallon this summer, people began looking for ways to reduce what they were spending at the pump. I had heard about the growing market of biodiesel and decided to give it a shot—the co-op in my town was selling it for $2.80 per gallon, more than 80 cents cheaper than the regular old diesel that I was putting in the tank of “Kiki,” my affectionately dubbed Volkswagen Jetta. Besides being just an alternative to regular vehicle fuel, biodiesel is also an efficient and economical energy source.

Biodiesel is a fuel that is made from oilseed crops, such as rapeseed or soybeans, and can be used without modification in any vehicle that runs on diesel fuel. B100 (100 percent biodiesel), reduces a vehicle’s emissions by more than 50 percent and B20 (20 percent biodiesel), reduces emissions by almost 20 percent. So if it’s cheaper, why isn’t everyone using it?”

The first issue is that 100 percent biodiesel hardens, or gels, below 43 degrees Fahrenheit, clogging fuel lines in an engine. However, simply blending biodiesel with regular diesel in the winter solves this problem.

The second issue is that few Americans own diesel vehicles, which by themselves have a 30 percent efficiency gain over comparable gas engines. This technology has the efficiency gain of a hybrid vehicle without the cost or mechanical complications.

The final issue with biodiesel is that of distribution. Outside the Midwest, it is hard to find a biodiesel pump, although that is rapidly changing. For example, the National Biodiesel Board lists retail pumps on its Web site (biodiesel.org).

In light of these solutions to the typical biodiesel concerns, perhaps it is time that Vassar considers this increasingly accessible fuel. The College uses more than 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel every year on heating and vehicles, and the Sustainability Committee advocates converting some of this diesel use to biodiesel in order to gain price security and to reduce the fossil fuel use and the greenhouse gas footprint of our campus. In the meantime, students considering buying a car might want to look into buying a diesel vehicle for the superior fuel economy and the possibility of reducing dependence on foreign oil by supporting an American-grown, renewable resource.

Editor’s note: Nate Kimball is a member of the Sustainability Committee