Project Bio Bus Demonstrates Viability of Renewable Resources

Author: David Barker

In the wake of a post-war era, as the United States taps Iraq's prized oil wells to please a nation of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs,) 13 Middlebury College students will be pulling out of the Ross parking lot on May 20 in a yellow school bus powered by little more than french fry grease.
Listen to trip organizers Logan Duran's '05.5 and Thomas Hand's '05.5 plans for the 23-day cross-country trip to Conway, Wash., and you'll soon learn that this is not an excuse to party with friends following final examinations.
Though the route might be structured around the nation's climbing destinations, Duran maintains that the emphasis of Project Bio Bus is on environmental awareness. And for good reason too. Five trip members are Environmental Studies majors. In addition, Hand's Winter Term workshop offered a crash course in converting tractor engines to run on vegetable oil. Says project member Julia Proctor '06.5, "It is really important to us that we have fun while supporting and demonstrating the effectiveness of renewable resources." "Climbing was definitely a secondary idea," added Stephen Swank '05.5.
The cross-country science experiment has stops scheduled in West Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to climb. During the three-day breaks from the road, the vegetable oil will be monitored for fuel quality, fuel sourcing, range, acceleration, emissions and long-range feasibility.
Why a school bus? It started with a Volkswagen Jetta, but soon more friends became interested, and Duran and Hand began thinking about a vehicle with more space. The 35-seat bus was purchased in Rhode Island for $1,500, and is on its last legs with 200,000 miles recorded on the odometer. "We have to assume that it will break down at some point," Hand said.
Members of the team have worked on the bus over the past two weeks to ensure that the tanks will operate to "grease" car standards. On Saturday, Middlebury's Vitality of the Artistic Community (VACA) is helping with exterior design. The team hopes to portray the advantages of alternative fuel on the bus to increase exposure. "If we have a bus, we're a billboard on wheels," said Sam Stevenson '05.5.
Pumping veggie oil into an engine as a source of alternative energy sounds cutting edge, but it was the intended method of Rudolf Diesel who, at the turn of the 20th century, showed the world an engine that ran on peanut oil at the World's Fair. Since its creation in 1900, diesel fuel has gradually become petroleum based and a scapegoat for air pollution. The distinctive diesel stench and blackish-blue "aura" emitted from the tailpipes of trucks and other cars contributes to the fuel's negative reputation.
Vegetable oil, different from bio-diesel, which is refined with ethanol and lye to remove the glycerin, is a dream for the Department of Environmental Quality. Though the crew will have to start the bus with an auxiliary diesel tank to heat and lower the viscosity of the vegetable oil, a quick flip of a switch triggers the crossover to reused grease. Its carbon neutral emissions contain no sulfur while particulates, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are greatly reduced. Hand estimates the bus will do roughly 13 miles to the gallon.
The road west rambles for 4,103 miles, and as the team is aware, BP doesn't have a "fryer" grade of octane at its pumps. Initially, the bus's tank will be filled with the grease that might have been used to cook your french toast sticks at Ross Dining Hall. Two 55-gallon drums of vegetable oil from Ross will serve as reserves.
In Winnetka, Ill, the team plans on making a pit stop at Duran's high school for veggie oil. "Other than that, we're hoping to just roll up to restaurants and say, 'I'll have a cheeseburger, fries and all your veggie oil,'" Duran said. Bio-diesel and regular diesel are last resorts if the vegetable tank runs out.
Financing the project is a recent focus. Each member paid $300 to cover food and other trip expenses, but the team is looking for sponsors to cover costs that will arise along the way.
Brainerd Commons has come forward as have the Chicago-based Archinomics Group and Adellio.com (Fayetteville, N.C.) to provide support. In an attempt to document and publicize the trip, a Web site (www.project biobus.com) has been set up that will feature daily journal entries and photos from the road. Sponsors can give to the project via the Web site.
For now, the bus sits at Middlebury Union High School, where the team is busy supping up the interior and engine. Proctor said the group sends about ten e-mails to each other a day to communicate their excitement. Will an old yellow school bus make it from Vermont to Washington and back on alternative fuel?
Said Duran, "I'm looking forward to finding solutions to unexpected problems."