There is one last little tidbit that fleet users will be happy to learn about. Like the 2010 version of GM's 6.6-liter Duramax, the 6.7-liter Power Stroke will be fully compatible with B20 biodiesel blends, addressing one of the issues some current Power Stroke operators have had. Because the current engine injects some fuel into the exhaust stream for particulate filter regeneration, the use of B20 has caused damage to some engines. This will no longer be true for the new engine.
Here’s an engine ready to run on B20, so it looks like Ford is thinking about biodiesel being used in the future. At least they are ready for it, and for that, I give them credit. They see a future in biodiesel over at Ford.
What do you think of when you hear that there’s a sled running on biodiesel? Probably not thinking tractor pull sled are you? Unless you’re a tractor pull fan. Well those big machines that the tractors and trucks pull are also diesel powered and in Jefferson City, MO there’s a company that manufactures them and runs them on biodiesel.
The company is Bungart Motor Sports and I learned about if from Donnie Bungart. Thanks to Tom Steever, Brownfield Network, for the picture.
This is a country thing, tractor pull, and I am a city person, so to be honest, I have never seen a tractor pull anything, let alone a sled. But these people are pioneers in unleashing the awesome power of biodiesel. Also see this article http://agwired.com/2009/08/30/pulling-with-biodiesel/ ,from which the following photo appears:
Tim Morgan of Farmington, a driver for J.D. Rugenstein and Sons, sweeps out the last of his load of corn at Western New York Energy LLC in Shelby, Orleans County. (WILL YURMAN staff photographer)
Michael Penny of Samson Fuel pumps biodiesel fuel into one of the trucks that travel with country musician Keith Urban's tour. (ANDREA MORALES staff photographer)
Fresh out of a spigot at Western New York Energy LLC in Orleans County, ethanol tastes a lot like high-proof grain alcohol and evaporates in seconds.
The biodiesel being churned out 57 miles due east at Northern Biodiesel Inc. in Wayne County has the consistency of thin syrup and a slightly sweet smell.
Both companies' products can be found in fuel tanks across the Rochester region. But the two firms, both of them key parts of the region's alternative energy industry, are finding differing levels of success.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, biofuel producers will continue to grow over time, and this article will give you some good insights into the nuts and bolts industry of biodiesel and ethanol in the New York area.