Students strolling the University of Virginia campus may think they smell McDonald’s, but that faint fry-like smell
is actually eco-friendly bus exhaust.
As of the middle of this month, UVa is adding biodiesel to fuel its 30-bus fleet. The fuel is a blend of 80 percent diesel
and 20 percent soy compound. After the university did a test run this summer with the biodiesel fueling two buses, director
of Parking & Transportation Rebecca White determined that the biodiesel and all-diesel buses were equally efficient
and required similar maintenance.
UVa’s decision to shift from diesel to biodiesel will help Virginia farmers who grow the soybeans that partially
comprise the biodiesel fuel, White said. Also, the shift will benefit the environment because, unlike diesel, soybeans are
a renewable resource. Additionally, powering university buses with biodiesel will slightly reduce smelly diesel emissions,
said Ramon L. Espino, a UVa research professor in chemical engineering.
“This is a step in the right direction,” Espino said. “It will be interesting to see how it’s received.”
But bettering the environment will cost the university an additional $30,000 each year, 10 percent to 15 percent more than
the $250,000 Parking & Transportation spends annually on fuel. The cost could rise or fall with the industry market price
index.
The decision to switch from diesel to biodiesel is just the first step in White’s plan to make Parking & Transportation
more environmentally conscious. During the next 12 years, she’ll replace the 18 cars and trucks in the fleet with diesel
and hybrid vehicles.
The popularity of biodiesel has found a place in UVa classrooms as well. Mark T. Aronson, an associate professor of chemical
engineering, and Bob Davis, chairman of the chemical engineering department, assigned their introduction to engineering students
the semester-long task of designing a process to convert a gallon of vegetable oil into biodiesel.
“We chose biodiesel as our topic because of the current energy situation,” Aronson said.
The biodiesel buses circling the campus represent a first and important step, he added.
“This is not going to solve the country’s energy problem,” Aronson said. “But it is a step in the
right direction using a renewable resource as fuel.”
Added White, “Why not explore this opportunity to use [fewer] petroleum products and reduce emissions?”
