Audio clip
ross_benton_0617.mp3
By Brooks Rexroat
Staff Writer
On a Friday morning, Ray Akins hooks up a fuel hose and starts to load his tanker truck from a depot behind the Benton Oil headquarters in Chattanooga.
But it's not petroleum he's pumping -- it's 100 percent biodiesel, about to be blended inside the truck with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
"It's just like mixing up chocolate milk," said Ross Benton
The blend, which likely will include up to 20 percent biodiesel, will become fuel for one of an increasing number of local truck fleets, Mr. Benton said.
He'll sell some of the mixture at the Midnite Oil fuel station next to his tanks and corporate headquarters off Bonny Oaks Drive. The blend has been popular with drivers of diesel-powered Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and heavy-duty pickup trucks, he said.
Long-term switch
Most of the blend, though, will go to vehicle fleets ranging from the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority to McCallie School. Some will even go to other fuel distributors, whose customers have asked for amounts of biodiesel they can't yet produce.
"We'll never replace diesel -- not in our lifetime," Mr. Benton said. "But if we offset some gallons, if everybody integrated a little biodiesel, it would make a big difference."
Since Congress enacted legislation requiring the use of ultra-low sulfur fuel in 2006, trucking companies have watched their equipment fall victim to the fuel's dry nature -- its "lack of lubricity," Mr. Benton said.
Blending biodiesel, made of plant matter or animal fat, into that fuel can restore its lubricating properties and carries a handful of other benefits, he said.
Environmental benefits, coupled with quality and profitability, led one of the area's biggest employers to start using biodiesel earlier this year.
In May, Shaw Industries started using biodiesel in its fleet that operates around the Dalton, Ga., area, said Louis Kuykendall
Each week, Shaw uses about 900 gallons of pure biodiesel -- which the company blends with petroleum diesel.
"Shaw's commitment to the environment was a key driver in exploring the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel," Mr. Kuykendall said in an e-mail. "The triple bottom line -- ecology, equity and economics -- is always a consideration in new company investments. Biodiesel not only provides environmental benefits through reduced emissions, but it also provides cost savings for the company."
The company also uses yellow grease, left over from food preparation, in its boilers, he said.
Shaw is conducting research and plans to expand its biodiesel usage, Mr. Kuykendall said.
EPB in Chattanooga also uses the fuel, said spokeswoman Karlene Claridy. The utility has used biodiesel since August 2006 and runs 105 trucks on the fuel, she said.
Jim Frierson executive director at the Advanced Transportation Technology Institute in Chattanooga, said biodiesel is a good starting point for weaning motorists and fleets off petroleum.
"Hydrogen is the future," he said. "The road to that goes through biofuels. If you're using 20 percent biodiesel or 85 percent ethanol, that's a huge step."
Mr. Frierson said biofuels and hybrids will bridge the gap until hydrogen fuel technology is ready for broader use.
While he is not aware of any large hybrid fleets operating around Chattanooga, Mr. Frierson called the city's electric bus fleet "true pioneers." He said that's because of the fleet's design efficiency.
"Rather than convert an existing vehicle, (a hybrid) fleet needs to be purpose built," Mr. Frierson said. "That's where you get system efficiency."
1st ethanol pump planned
CARTA sparingly uses five hybrid buses that run on a combination of diesel fuel and electricity, said Executive Director Tom Dugan. The Authority's full downtown shuttle fleet and its planned North Shore fleet is entirely electric, he said.
New fuels are on their way to the city. Mr. Benton said he should have the city's first E-85 ethanol blend available sometime in July. He has already got a customer -- EPB's new flex-fuel fleet is operating on regular gasoline until the ethanol blend becomes available, he said.
"We're working with the city to get E-85 in place no later than Aug. 1, he said. "That's a big step."
E-85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. A flex-fuel vehicle is required to burn fuel with an ethanol concentration higher than about 10 percent, Mr. Benton said.
Biofuels use is booming in East Tennessee, with government fleets leading the way, said Jonathan Overly, president of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Commission.
"Municipalities have been tremendous leaders in getting biofuels put into use," Mr. Overly said. "The region has some of the highest (environmental) nonattainment levels in the state, and biofuels are sort of low-hanging fruit for fixing that problem."
More than 100 companies and municipalities in East Tennessee are using biofuels, he said.
For private industry, usage can fluctuate. Biofuel prices correspond to prices of petroleum and crops like corn and soybeans, which are used in biofuel production, Mr. Overly said.
"For businesses, it's all about the dollars," he said. "When it makes financial sense, they'll use biodiesel. At some point though, we have to break away from the dollars and realize that we're shooting ourselves in the foot doing business with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. It's just not a good idea."
Growth in the biofuel sector has been steady but will be a long process, Mr. Overly said.
"It will take a lot of years to reduce our (petroleum) dependency," he said. "It's not going to happen overnight. But as we reduce demand by increasing biofuel use, fuel prices will go down."
E-mail Brooks Rexroat at brexroat@timesfreepress.com
