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O2Diesel Secures Additional $1 Million to Continue Fuel Development for DoD

O2Diesel Corporation has received an additional $1 million in funding from the Department of Defense for 2007 to continue its existing demonstration projects and develop a cleaner-burning alternative diesel fuel.

O2Diesel has been under contract to develop a new fuel for the Department of Defense that will be composed of at least 20% renewable sources including ethanol and the company’s proprietary biomass-derived stabilizing additive.

Testing of the new fuel is currently underway at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The research will be followed by an expanded in-use fleet demonstration at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas where the company’s original O2Diesel fuel—an ethanol-diesel blend of 7.7 vol% ethanol treated with the stabilizing additive. The Nellis Air Quality Demonstration Program will increase the vehicle test fleet in the coming months under the new allocation.

In October, O2Diesel Corporation entered into an agreement with Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) in Richland, Washington, to begin testing a blend of its O2Diesel e-diesel in combination with a B20 biodiesel blend in 20 transit buses. (Earlier post.)

The addition of ethanol to diesel lowers the pour point (the temperature at which the fuel begins to gel). Conventional practice for winter blends has been to mix No. 2 diesel with No. 1 diesel to lower the pour point. The use of e-diesel may reduce the need to blend No. 1 diesel into winter blends (depending upon the ethanol content and other additives).

Comments

Brad

I don't get the purpose of this. Other than for training at home they won't be able to use the fuel since they're buying the fuel they use abroad straight from the suppliers over there(ie. iraq) and don't really have a choice in what they get.

Truett Neathery

The purpose is to extract $$$$$$$$$ from the DoD.

allen_Z

Brad,
This is a demo project. If all goes well, it will be expanded. Reduced particuluate emissions is also welcomed, since diesel trucks and generators will run cleaner. This might reduce medical bills, long term, with retirees (esp with repiratory diseases).
_As for refined fuel in Iraq, most of what the Coalition forces - and much of what Iraqis - use come from Kuwait. Iraqi refinery capacity is restricted (due to attacks and run down equpment), and fuel quality consistency is not that good.

SJC

It works better in cold weather, uses both ethanol and biodiesel and maybe even reduces maintainance of the engines, if it runs cleaner. $1m is not a lot of money for a pilot program.

nickf

test post

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