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Read the
magazine
story to find out more. Research
Center Is Customer for Largest-Ever Single Biodiesel ContractBy Don Comis April 4, 2002The flagship research center of the
Agricultural Research Service will be
one of the beneficiaries of the largest-ever single contract for the biodiesel
fuel known as B20--a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular
diesel. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has contracted to have more than
1.5 million gallons of B20 delivered to military and civilian locations
nationwide through July 2002. Under this contract, the Henry A. Wallace
Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research
Center, which uses more than 100,000 gallons of B20 per year, will now get
pre-blended B20 biodiesel fuel delivered. The center uses biodiesel in its
entire fleet of more than 150 diesel vehicles, in standby generators, and in
boilers to provide steam for heating buildings and for research equipment that
uses steam to sterilize. The DOD contract allows federal agencies to buy B20 biodiesel at a low
price--currently 82 cents per gallon, which is competitive with petroleum
diesel wholesale and retail prices. The federal government is turning to
biodiesel as a cleaner-burning alternative in diesel-powered vehicles and
equipment. The Beltsville center expects that heating use will expand its demand for
B20 to more than 300,000 gallons a year, especially in severe winters. At that
usage level and at todays price, the center would save $144,000 a year in
biodiesel costs because of the DOD contract. Biodiesel can be made by the reaction of vegetable oils, animal fats or
spent cooking greases with alcohol. More information on the ARS bioenergy program can be found in the
April 2002 issue
of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture |