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Area gains ground toward renewable fuel |
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
by GAGE HOWE
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
With all the attention directed toward the planet’s dwindling natural resources, oil remains a leading concern.
Attempts to replace oil, specifically for transportation, with a renewable energy source have made progress in the form of bio fuels.
Two types of bio fuels currently being experimented with include bio-diesel and ethanol. According to Appalachian State University’s bio-diesel Web site, bio-diesel is made primarily from vegetable oils, which are renewable, biodegradable, and can be used in an ordinary diesel engine without modification.
 James Young, owner of Kounty Line Convenience Stores, promotes bio fuels through the use of his biodiesel truck. Photo by Jameykay Young
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The fuel used most commonly is not 100 percent bio-diesel.
The mixture is a blend of 20 percent bio-diesel and 80 percent regular, diesel petroleum known as B20.
In the Boone area, bio-diesel has been given special consideration for the past few years.
In 2006, the Collaborative Bio-diesel Project at Appalachian State was one of the winners of the EPA
P3 Award: Student Design Competition for Sustainability in Washington, D.C.
The students of Appalachian State are not the only people in Boone to take advantage of bio-diesel as
a renewable resource.
“We’ve been using it a little over a year,” said Chris Turner, the transportation director for AppalCART.
Turner said 12 vehicles are run by bio-diesel. However, the use of bio-diesel is not without
complications.
During cold weather, the typical B20 blend causes water in the fuel filters to freeze, disrupting engine
function.
AppalCARTs run on a reduced blend of 5 percent bio-diesel during the
winter months to prevent filter freezing, and return to using the B20
blend when the weather is warmer.
Although bio-diesel is a plausible option for vehicles powered by
diesel engine, the majority of transportation vehicles require gasoline
to run.
Visit for www.biodiesel.appstate.edu more information.
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