Currently, about one-third of the school buses in Dallas, Texas are more than ten years old. Many improvements to clean burning engines have been made since the purchase of the fleet used by the Texas Education Agency to transport children. One of the advancements in engine technology is more fuel-efficient engines.
Biodiesel fuel can be used in existing engines without modifying or making any adjustments to the standard components of the bus. Biodiesel fuel is a sustainable source of energy that can be derived from soybean, cottonseed, canola, sunflower or rape seed oil, yellow grease or beef tallow. B20 is another option; it is a blend of petroleum and biodiesel sources. B20 extends the life of and is about the same price as petroleum-based diesel fuel. It can reduce the emissions of particulate matter by more than ten percent and hydrocarbons by almost twenty percent. To make the transition as effective as possible, the engine should be thoroughly flushed, cleaned and allowed to dry. Gas tanks should be treated with biocide to kill any bacteria. All fuel and air filters should be changed just prior to introducing the change to a biodiesel alternative.
In addition to using biodiesel fuel instead of petroleum-based diesel fuel, there are several steps the city of Dallas has proposed that will reduce emissions from school buses:
• perform frequent maintenance checks
• use biodiesel fuel
• program the engine computer to run more fuel efficiently
• limit the length of time spent idling or waiting at schools
• utilize county, federal or municipal grants to remove the oldest vehicles from the fleet and replace them with newer, more fuel efficient models
To ensure a safe and quality biodiesel fuel, it should be purchased from companies registered under the BQ-9000 fuel quality program. By way of an example, the city of Denton uses B20 in 400 diesel powered vehicles.
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