Kansas Salt Mine First to Use B100

25 December 2004

Soyatech. The Hutchinson Salt Co, in Hutchinson, Kansas. is the first mine of any kind to use B100.

“We use B100 biodiesel in everything underground that runs on diesel,” said Max Liby, VP of Manufacturing for the mine. “The main benefit is we’ve cleaned up soot in the air and have cut particulates. Workers, particularly the operator of the loaders, like the soy biodiesel much better because they say particulates do not get in their nostrils and the air is noticeably cleaner. Also, lubricity is much greater than if we used regular diesel fuel, so the injector pumps and injectors work more efficiently. The soy biodiesel actually cleans the injectors,” he said.

Hutchinson Salt  began using biodiesel in June 2003, and used 31,229 gallons of B100 in the first year.