Ozark City Schools has purchased B-20 bio-diesel fuel to begin testing on their fleet of school buses. B-20 bio-diesel is a popular bio-diesel blend composed of 80% petroleum diesel and 20% bio-diesel. Bio-diesel is a renewable domestic fuel which is essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
While the use of bio-diesel has increased more than fifty times in the past five years, it is still a relatively new concept. Ozark City Schools has decided to become one of the first school systems in the State to test blended bio-diesel. The testing program which will continue through the 2006-2007 school year will involve buses from Ozark’s newest 2007 bus to their oldest 1996 model. With a bus fleet of 38 buses running 58 routes per day and burning approximately one thousand gallons of fuel per week, it is believed that the test will prove B-20 bio-diesel burns significantly cleaner, providing a more environmental friendly fuel than tradition diesel by reducing harmful exhaust emissions as well as decreasing Ozark’s demand on traditional diesel fuel. In 2000, bio-diesel became the only alternative fuel in the Country to have successfully completed the EPA-required Tier I and Tier II health effect testing under the Clean Air Act. A study, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture concluded that bio-diesel reduces net CO2 emissions by 78% compared to petroleum diesel.
Dr. Payant, Superintendent of Ozark City Schools, stated that “this is a tremendous opportunity for our school system to save money while providing a cleaner burning fuel. We are proud that we can do our part to clean up the air in our community while teaching children the importance of making wise choices when it comes to our environmental and energy needs.”