The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

UW-Madison News Release--Biodiesel mix reduces emissions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2/9/05

CONTACT: Rob Kennedy, (608) 263-3027, rkennedy@fpm.wisc.edu



UW-MADISON FILLS UP ON LESS-POLLUTING BIODIESEL MIX



MADISON - The University of Wisconsin-Madison's diesel-burning fleet of vehicles will be the first in Wisconsin to fill its tanks with a blend of ultra-low sulfur diesel and a soybean-based biodiesel fuel in the campus's effort to improve air quality.



"This new fuel mix will result in significant reductions in the emissions of a number of pollutants," says Chancellor John D. Wiley, noting that the campus will begin using the ultra-low sulfur diesel more than a year before federal regulations require it. "This is an important part of our commitment to achieve the best air quality possible."



Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources, and contains no petroleum. Ultra-low sulfur diesel is formulated to reduce particulates and a variety of other emissions.



The two fuels will be mixed to allow a 20 percent concentration of biodiesel in the fleet's fuel. The biodiesel in the university's fuel mix means that its physical plant fleet will get better emission reductions that other fleets even after federal regulations require the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel.



Rob Kennedy, senior transportation planner for the university, says the new fuel blend will lead to a 15 percent reduction in particulate matter, also known as soot.



In addition, use of the new mixture will result in a 13 percent reduction in hydrocarbons, an 8 percent cut in carbon monoxide and a 16 percent decline in emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary gas responsible for global warming.



"The new fuel mix will also enable the university to achieve reductions that are two or three times greater for many of the same pollutants, in combination with the exhaust filters found on the newer trucks in the university fleet," Kennedy says.



Kennedy adds that while some institutions are using either ultra-low sulfur diesel or biodiesel, none in Wisconsin are using the alternative fuels together.



The university is a founding partner in the Dane County Clean Air Coalition, which has brought together government agencies and businesses to voluntarily help reduce emissions and avert stricter regulation that accompanies higher ozone levels.



Last month, UW-Madison offered to pay for a $20,000 gas-can exchange program as part of an agreement to offset emissions at the new West Campus Cogeneration Facility, and in its continuing commitment to control the release of ozone-causing pollutants.



The university is working with Dane County and the city of Madison on that program, which will distribute 4,400 environmentally friendly gas cans to homeowners. That program could prevent the emission of 46.7 tons of volatile organic compounds countywide during the next five years.



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- Dennis Chaptman, (608) 262-9406, dchaptman@wisc.edu



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University Communications

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Madison, WI 53706



Phone: (608) 262-3571

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