The county's public bus system is going green, in stages.
Although a tight budget has for now doomed Palm Beacher Trudy
McConnell's campaign to add fuel-sipping, low-polluting hybrid buses to
the Palm Tran fleet, the organization will start fueling its 115 buses
with a biodiesel blend within a few months.
Biodiesel is fuel oil made from plant oils or animal fat. A blend mixes petroleum diesel with biodiesel.
Palm Tran's use of the fuel, expected to start in January, will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other smog-producing gases emitted by the buses.
The burning of fossil fuels is a major source of carbon dioxide
emissions, which contribute to the greenhouse effect. Another benefit
will be a reduction in cancer-causing agents linked to the combustion
of petroleum diesel.
Chuck Cohen, Palm Tran's executive director, has been coordinating
the switch with the county, which is planning the same change for its
diesel-fueled vehicles, Cohen said.
"Biodiesel fuels have been found to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 78 percent," Cohen said.
That figure, however, likely refers to the use of 100-percent biodiesel fuel over the life of the vehicle.
Biodiesel is a direct replacement for petroleum diesel and engines
can run on any concentration. Cohen plans to boost the amount of
biodiesel used in the blend from 5 percent to 20 percent within a year.
Cohen gives McConnell, a six-year member of the agency's volunteer advisory board, some of the credit for the idea.
"Trudy's been pushing us to be more environmentally conscious for years," Cohen said.
In addition to the switch to biodiesel, Palm Tran plans to start
inflating bus tires with nitrogen instead of air. Nitrogen leaks out of
tires more slowly than air, and properly inflated tires reduce fuel
consumption.
A state grant is helping to pay for nitrogen-inflation systems at
the two Palm Tran maintenance facilities. Using nitrogen could save
Palm Tran about $325,000 a year, Cohen said.
Biodiesel is slightly cheaper than traditional diesel, but that could change, he added.
"I'm delighted that we are going green," McConnell said Friday.
"I think our Palm Tran staff is to be commended for their efforts. As everyone knows, we are healthier with cleaner air."
Late last year, Palm Tran switched from low-sulfur diesel to
ultra-low-sulfur diesel to reduce particulate matter as part of a U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency directive.
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A vehicle using a blend of 80 percent petroleum diesel to 20 percent
biodiesel emits about 11 percent less carbon dioxide and 21 percent
less hydrocarbons than one fueled solely by petroleum diesel, according
to the EPA. That could translate to a significant reduction in
pollution, considering Palm Tran's 115 buses logged 7.65 million miles
on the road last year. The reduction in greenhouse gases grows over the
life of a vehicle using biodiesel as the carbon produced by biodiesel
combustion can be absorbed by plants, according to The Center for
Neighborhood Technology, an advocacy group.
