District conducting study Libert

District conducting study
Liberty Center buses are running on biodiesel

By Becky Huntington

LIBERTY CENTER- Liberty Center Local School District buses are running on biodiesel fuel.
     District transportation supervisor Kevin Sonnenberg said the district is conducting a study.
     "Soy diesel is, at the current time, the exact same price as the No. 2 diesel. But by using biodiesel, we are looking at increasing fuel mileage. I've talked to numerous schools who are running on it and they're looking at 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles per gallon more. This is an average of .7 mpg.
     "Last year we used 27,310 gallons of fuel. If we gain .7 mile more per gallon, we could save around $5,700.
     Twenty-three buses are operating on biodiesel. "We switched to biodiesel about 4,000 gallons ago, in February," said Sonnenberg, adding that the district waited mostly because the biodiesel fuel had been more expensive.
     Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from soybeans.
     Paul Zumfelde, sales representative for American Ag Fuels in Defiance, said it can be made from other oils, but the upper Midwest mainly uses soybean oil. In the Dakotas, canola oil is used. "In Minnesota, it's mandated they add a 2 percent blend (of biodiesel) in the winter for school buses and maintenance trucks.
     Sonnenberg and Zumfelde both listed a number of reasons to choose biodiesel over regular diesel. These reasons are it displaces imported fuel, it helps cut emissions, and it supports the local agriculture community.

     "The biggest plus for schools is that biodiesel greatly reduces asthma problems for kids who have the disease," said Zumfelde. "Anyone riding in the back of a bus for an hour is going to get diesel fumes, no matter how well ventilated the bus is."
     Liberty Center has a fuel tank that holds 2,000 gallons at a time. "We bid out through local distributors," Sonnenberg said of purchasing fuel supplies.
     Their local distributors are Thiel BP of Bryan and Britsch of Napoleon, and their supplier is American Ag Fuels.
     "No modifications had to be made to the motors (to switch to biodiesel)," said Sonnenberg. "So if the price spikes, we can jump back to No. 2 diesel and it's not costing any more."
     Sonnenberg said there has not been any problems stemming from the use of biodiesel fuel. "I heard rumors that it plugs the fuel filter. Biodiesel has a lower gel point. ...It will start to gel the closer the temperature gets to 0 (degrees Fahrenheit). Right now we're staying with a 10 percent blend so we don't have to worry about the gel. We're looking to go to a 20 percent blend soon."
     Zumfelde said they don't encourage more than B20 (a 20 percent blend). But the gas mileage saved should be just as true with a 10 percent blend, he said.
      As far as the mileage numbers go, Zumfelde said, "I don't want to make claims. They are what I hear and I wouldn't dispute them."
      Sonnenberg said officials are still watching the mileage numbers and would have a better understanding of how much the district is saving by using biodiesel in about a month or two.

Courtesy of The Crescent News, March 7, 2006

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