4-Wheelers in Biodiesel Research Project
Farmers fund research on emissions, fuel economy and engine wear
Contact Information:Drs. Donald M. Johnson and George Wardlow, Dept. of Agricultural and Extension Education, 479-575-7123, wardlow@uark.edu, dmjohnso@uark.edu.
Mike Johnson, UA Facilities Management, 479-575-3851, mrj03@uark.edu.
By Howell Medders, Division of Agriculture Communications, 479-575-5647, hmedders@uark.edu
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas and the U of A System's Division of Agriculture are studying the costs and benefits of biodiesel fuel in a fleet of 4-wheel-drive utility vehicles used by campus maintenance crews, with a focus on the environmental impact of emissions, fuel economy and engine wear.
Donald M. Johnson and George W. Wardlow, professors of agricultural systems technology, received a grant from the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board for $18,000 for the first year in a multi-year project in cooperation with the UA Facilities Management Department. The grant is from check-off funds provided by the state's soybean farmers.
Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities management, said the project is part of a campus sustainability initiative.
"Facilities management is assessing and developing plans and goals to support progress in all areas to reduce energy consumption and our impact on the environment,” Mike Johnson said, explaining that the department has implemented changes affecting capital construction to meet high industry standards for energy efficient and environmentally friendly design in projects greater than $1 million.
Mark Cochran, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in the U of A System's statewide Division of Agriculture, said, "This project is an example of the division's research and extension efforts to support the emerging biofuels industry in the state and region." He said the division uses biodiesel, where available, in vehicles and equipment such as irrigation pumps.
Donald Johnson said graduate student Garris Hudson is working with the drivers of 17 Kubota utility vehicles to record data on engine emissions, fuel usage and engine wear. Results will be compared between vehicles using either petroleum diesel or a B20 biodiesel blend. A blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel is the current standard for commercial use, Johnson said.
The City of Fayetteville, which recently installed a system for storing biodiesel and blending it with regular diesel, will provide the B20 fuel for the project.
"It is documented that biodiesel burns cleaner than petroleum diesel and provides essentially the same level of fuel efficiency in a B20 blend," Johnson said. "However, there are some gaps in the research," he added.
Wardlow said studies have shown that biodiesel emissions contain less total greenhouse gases and other pollutants. But there are conflicting results on oxides of nitrogen, one of the greenhouse gases; different studies show slightly higher or lower levels in biodiesel vs. petroleum diesel, he said.
"We believe this study will make a significant contribution to the body of data on oxides of nitrogen and other emissions, as well as the understanding of how biodiesel impacts engine wear and fuel efficiency," Johnson said.
Kubota drivers are keeping a data logbook on each vehicle. The data include emission levels of several gasses as measured by Hudson. He also tests samples of engine oil periodically. The chemical profile of the oil reveals the degree of engine wear, he said.
Robert Stobaugh, a Conway County farmer and member of the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and National Biodiesel Board, said the soybean board is funding the study because it believes the results will further demonstrate the benefits of biodiesel. About 90 percent of biodiesel is made from soybean oil.
"I know from running B20 in 30-year-old engines and brand new engines that it is good fuel and burns cleaner. This project will help document those facts," Stobaugh said.
Stobaugh said biodiesel is readily available in about one-fourth of the counties in Arkansas at prices that are competitive with petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel is produced in Arkansas by Patriot Biofuels at Stuttgart and FutureFuel Chemical Co. at Batesville with a combined capacity of some 27 million gallons a year. Construction is underway on at least four other refineries, which could more than triple the state's annual production capacity.
Stobaugh said growing demand for biofuels has significantly improved the prices farmers are receiving for feedstock crops such as corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel. Prices of some other crops have also increased due to a shift of acreage into energy crops, he said.
News releases and photos are available online at
http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/392.htm
Biodiesel Facts
- Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from vegetable oils and animal fats.
- Blends of biodiesel and petroleum diesel that include 20% or less biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine with no modification.
- Biodiesel reduces compounds that have been linked to cancer by 80-90%.
- Biodiesel has a higher lubricity value that regular petrodiesel. This may extend the life of components such as the injector pump.
- Biodiesel reduces emissions that contribute to smog and greenhouse gasses, such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons.
- Studies show that biodiesel burns cooler that petrodiesel.
- Biodiesel sales in the United States have increased from 500,000 gallons sold in 1999 to 250 million gallons sold in 2006.
- Biodiesel suppliers and retail pump sites are listed by the Arkansas Farm Bureau at www.arfb.com and by the National Biodiesel Board at www.biodiesel.org.