2008 Woodie Awards
Campus bus modified to use alternative fuel
Daniel Potter
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: News
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The bus has three fuel tanks: one for petrodiesel, one for biodiesel, and one for used cooking oil, said Charles Perry, who holds the Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence with the department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies.
"Almost a year ago, we proposed to the Student Clean Energy Fee Committee to take one of the old buses to convert it to run on used cooking oil," Perry said.
"That conversion has been completed."
As a result, the chemistry department became involved in order to conduct a unique emissions tests on the vehicle. Normally such tests take place in a controlled, simulated setting rather than on the road, but in this case it was possible to gather emissions data "in real time," Perry said.
"We went back for a second proposal," Perry said, this time to incorporate biodiesel. Even with three different fuel tanks, the bus will be able to "switch on the run," Perry said.
"Eventually, our plan is to take the used cooking oil on campus and filter it - it doesn't take much processing for used cooking oil. Then we're going to run the bus on it," Perry said.
"Once we get the graphics on it," the bus will be displayed, Perry said. "I'd say it's going to be another month or two."
"I just wish it would go faster, but we'll get there."
The use of the bus itself appears to be an example of recycling.
"It was actually one of our old shuttle buses," said Ron Malone, assistant vice president of Events and Transportation Services on campus.
"When we bought some new buses, we agreed to turn one of our old buses over to those folks so they could modify it to run on biodiesel fuel," Malone said.
The bus is just one example of recent projects geared toward alternative fuels on campus, said Carl Caum, junior computer science major and member of Students for Environmental Action.
Cliff Ricketts, a professor of agricultural education here, has undertaken the modification of numerous vehicles to utilize alternative fuels, Caum said.
Among the cars in Ricketts' collection recently displayed outside the Keathley University Center for Earth Day were a pair of Corvettes modified to run on alternative fuels such as biodiesel and used cooking oil.
"He's also got a hydrogen truck, and that one runs off just sun and water," Caum said.
Also on display for Earth Day was a collection of vehicles brought by Jeff Hartley, an honorary SEA member.
Hartley's collection included a modified bicycle with a two-stroke engine that can reach speeds of 40 mph and travel up to 150 miles on a single gallon of fuel. He also demonstrated a Mercedes modified with less than $500 worth of parts to run on used cooking oil.
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