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\nOXFORD, Miss. – The scent of fresh-cut grass may be \nThe UM Landscape Services Department and Mississippi \nGreenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, \nThe transition to biodiesel for landscape services is the \nFor the past two weeks, the department has operated one of \nThe mixture being used is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 \nThe long-term goal is to slowly decrease the amount of \n“People may notice a sweeter smell behind the lawnmower due \nAn industrial lawnmower may use anywhere from seven to 10 \nThe department usually spends $3,000 on fuel for mowers \nBrad Crafton, a senior anthropology major and research \n“I knew as an anthropology major that I wanted to evaluate \nUsing the fuel should significantly reduce the air \nResearch indicates that biodiesel significantly reduces \nCrafton creates the fuel in an MMRI facility in Oxford \nCrafton runs his own 1980s Mercedes Benz on 100 percent \n“Most restaurants pay to have that stuff hauled off,” he \nThe university uses several diesel vehicles, so this \nThough Crafton operates a small-batch facility, he’s \nFor more information about the Mississippi Mineral Research
\naccompanied by the aroma of fried catfish, chicken or
\npotatoes at the University of Mississippi this summer.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nMineral Resources Institute have joined forces to
\nexperiment with using more environmentally friendly fuel in
\ncampus lawnmowers. One mower is running on a blend of
\nbiodiesel made from used cooking oil and regular diesel,
\nand plans call for switching all mowers to this fuel by the
\nend of summer.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
The move comes about a month after Chancellor Robert Khayat
\nsigned the American College & University Presidents’
\nClimate Commitment. The initiative, sponsored by the
\nAssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
\nEducation, calls for colleges and universities to identify
\nmajor sources of greenhouse gas emissions and reduce this
\noutput over five years.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\nmethane and ozone. All are natural components of the
\nEarth’s atmosphere, but excesses of these gases cause the
\nplanet’s temperature to slowly climb, contributing to what
\nis known as the “greenhouse effect” or “global warming.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nfirst of many changes coming to campus operations, said
\nJeffrey McManus, director. “We’re kind of the guinea pig,”
\nhe said. “We’re a good group to experiment on because we
\nhave a wide variety of equipment that is used daily on
\ncampus.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nits riding lawnmowers on a mix of biodiesel fuel and
\npetroleum diesel, he said. MMRI produced the biodiesel
\nusing vegetable oil offered for recycling by local
\nrestaurants.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\npercent regular diesel, McManus said. The mower has
\noperated with few problems on the blend, he said.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nregular diesel until the machines can run on 100 percent
\nbiofuel. All of the university’s mowers could be powered by
\na mixture of biofuel by the end of the summer, McManus
\nsaid.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nto the origin of the fuel,” he said. When burned, biodiesel
\nsmells like whatever was originally cooked in the oil.
\nMcManus is developing signage to put on the lawnmower
\nindicating it runs on environmentally friendly fuel.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ngallons of diesel fuel a day and landscaping services
\noperates 10 to 15 mowers on a daily basis.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nevery two or three weeks, chief mechanic David Hodge said.
\nHe also has noticed that the modified mower seems to be
\nburning fuel at a slower rate than others but pointed out
\nthat the project is still in the testing phase.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nassistant at MMRI, helped launch the university’s biodiesel
\nproject. Crafton began experimenting with biodiesel in
\n2003, when he went to a university-sponsored workshop in
\nCalifornia and learned how to make his own fuel. After
\nreturning to Oxford and working at various local
\nrestaurants, he decided to literally take his work home
\nwith him and experiment with used cooking oil.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\na need in society and try and fix that need,” Crafton said.
\nHe taught himself the chemistry and made his first batches
\nin a blender in his own kitchen.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\npollution the lawnmowers create, Crafton said.
\n“Essentially, we are reducing the air pollution by 20
\npercent,” he said.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ngreenhouse gas emissions. The use of pure biodiesel can
\nreduce emissions of carbon monoxide, sulfates and
\ncarcinogens by more than 50 percent, while the mixture
\nadopted by Ole Miss can reduce those emissions by at least
\n10 percent, according to the Environmental Protection
\nAgency’s Web site http:\/\/www.epa.gov.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nusing an industrial grade, computer-controlled processor
\nthat “makes very high quality fuel,” he said. This is an
\nupgrade from the original 35-gallon biodiesel processor he
\nbuilt himself for less than $1,000, using a modified
\n40-gallon water heater, a 70-gallon cone-shaped settling
\ntank, a 120-gallon washing tank and several hoses with
\nquick-release valves.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nbiodiesel in the warm seasons and a 50 percent mixture in
\nthe winter. He can produce the fuel for $1 a gallon
\nprovided local restaurants continue to donate the used
\ncooking oil.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nsaid. “So this way they save on a bill and I save on a
\nbill.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ntechnology could save Ole Miss a considerable amount of
\nmoney, in addition to reducing air pollution. MMRI has been
\nrunning its 15-passenger van for more than a year on pure
\nbiodiesel with no mechanical problems.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nconfident the production will be able to grow to meet the
\nuniversity’s needs. The fuel has been evaluated and meets
\nboth ASTM and EPA standards.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nInstitute, visit: http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/depts\/mmri\/<\/a>.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"