Penn State's exploration into the effects of using 100 percent biodiesel fuel in farm tractors is now showing promise that could turn the grass greener and make the sky bluer.
The tractors, fueled by biodiesel, have shown no negative effects in two years, Glen Cauffman, Penn State manager of farm operations and facilities, announced Jan. 28. There has been no sign of degraded performance or power, he said.
"[Using biodiesel] is the right thing to do because it is contributing to the greening of Penn State," Cauffman said.
The stress to the environment is apparent in the black exhaust flowing from petroleum-based diesel fuel. The exhaust contains tiny carcinogenic particles, which are harmful to the environment and to people, Cauffman said.
"Petroleum diesel emits particles out of the exhaust of vehicles that are hazardous to the environment," he said. "Those particles are especially bad for humans because when they get in your lungs, they are very difficult for the body to get rid of."
The project began in 2002 when Cauffman began testing the limits of biodiesel fuel, which is made from soybeans, starting with a 20 percent blend of biodiesel and petroleum, known as B20.
Two years ago, New Holland, an agricultural company, joined the project, providing Penn State with three tractors to test the viability of 100 percent biodiesel fuel, also known as B100. The remaining 97 tractors run on B20.
Currently biodiesel's cost is equal to that of petroleum diesel, Cauffman said, adding that biodiesel as a renewable energy can be made domestically.
"It is important to give people an alternative to petroleum," Cauffman said. "Many people feel we depend too much on imported fuel. So some people call that economic security."
The use of biodiesel fuels can translate from farming machinery into the lives of most Americans, said Andre Boehman, professor of fuel science and engineering.
"It could make big difference. A lot more companies are going to start to produce more diesel cars in the next decade," Boehman said.
Boehman cited a test Volkswagen did on its vehicles, displaying the effectiveness of diesel fuels. The diesel-fueled car got twice the mileage per gallon in comparison, he said.
"We all should be driving diesel vehicles. They are anywhere from 30 to 100 percent more efficient in miles per gallon," Boehman said.
The use of renewable biodiesel fuel will be a step in the right direction, he said.
"If vehicles run on renewable biodiesel fuel, that will be good for the environment, good for the economy, good for all of us," Boehman said.
Some environmental activists are not so sure biodiesel is the answer, however. Penn State Eco-Action Public Relations Manager Ben Tutolo (sophomore-environmental systems engineering) said the net energy use may be a pitfall of biodiesel fuel. The energy needed to cultivate the fuel crop may outweigh the positive energy created using the biodiesel fuel itself, he said.
"I think it is very positive that the university is doing this and is moving away from fossil fuels," Tutolo said. Boehman said he has taken this skepticism under consideration but is an advocate for it in the end.
"Not every acre of soybean used is turning into an acre of rainforest lost. Domestic renewable fuel can enhance energy security," Boehman said.
