Washington College has successfully burned a biofuel in its main steam plant – a step toward greatly reducing its carbon footprint and cutting emissions.
, climate action coordinator for WC’s Center for Environment & Society, said the biofuel burn showed a reduction of 50 percent in nitrogen oxide and produced no sulphur at all because there is no carbon in the fuel mix.
The new fuel, from renewable fuels provider New Generation Biofuels Holdings, is a plant oil based formula that can use either soybean oil or corn oil.
Cunningham said that the corn oil comes from corn waste – “So we’re not actually growing corn to produce fuel. We’re taking corn already produced and thrown away, the residue, and using that.”
Washington College’s main steam plant has three boilers, two of which burn No. 6 heating oil and one that burns No. 2 diesel oil.
The biofuel would replace the No. 2 diesel oil. Cunningham said the price of the two fuels is about the same in terms of BTU output.
“There is no downside as to cost,” said Cunningham. “The nice thing about the biofuel is it can run the burner without converting equipment whatsoever.”
And if supplies of biofuels were to run short – which the supplier says will not happen – the college could go back to running No. 2 diesel.
“The college is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint while not increasing our energy costs, and are enthused by the results of the biofuel test,” Cunningham said.
New Generation President Cary Claiborne said, “Washington College has a desire to move towards cleaner fuels and reduce their overall carbon footprint and we can help them do that.
“Our biofuel has demonstrated significant overall greenhouse gas emissions reductions as well as local air pollution reductions. . .”
Washington College signed onto the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007. The college has been gaining recognition for its “George Goes Green” environmental sustainability campaign, involving environmentally minded students.
Gren Whitman says
Sounds like win-win all around! Washington College is being a good neighbor, for sure. Bravo, Briggs Cunningham and WC’s Center for Environment and Society!