Beans to biodiesel: soy-based fuel may strengthen growers' income prospects

摘要

Riders, motorists and pedestrians who encounter city buses on the streets of Lexington, Ky., these days are likely to notice a couple of things that are different about the vehicles. One is the absence of black, sooty smoke billowing from the buses'exhaust pipes. And they're apt to detect a faint smell resembling vegetable oil, too. Since April 1, the Lexington Transit Authority (LexTran) has been powering its fleet of 46 city buses with a clean-burning alternative fuel made from soybean oil. The fuel, called B20, is a common blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent conventional petroleum-derived diesel fuel. LexTran's use of biodiesel is part of their special joint venture with the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board (KSPB) and Griffin Industries Inc. Griffin produces the soy-based biodiesel fuel for the project and then delivers it to LexTran's fuel distributor.