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The News
October 12, 2012
Efforts made by the Hutson School of Agriculture to increase sustainability and green initiatives have, in the past, used soy, like the school grows, as a means of creating biofuel for its vehicles and machinery. The cost and availability of soy-based biodiesels has been the main limiting factor of use at Murray State.
bmanhanke@murraystate.edu
The Hutson School of Agriculture is making great strides to limit its dependence on petroleum diesel and other fossil fuels through research into renewable, natural, alternative fuel sources, but due to cost and availability the school is limited to what it can actually do. Most recently, the school purchased a bioburner in an attempt to lessen the utility costs at one of its facilities. A Soybean Promotion Day in 2005 inspired faculty and staff at the school of agriculture to start using biodiesels on the farms to power their vehicles and machines. The Kentucky Soybean Association aided the school in this transition. Biodiesels are used on the farms, to power its vehicles and machines, and are used whenever the school can afford to; the cost and availability of the biodiesels being the main limiting factors in their use at Murray State. The last time the farms were able to use biodiesel was approximately six months ago. Soybean-based biodiesel is produced through a refinery process called trans-esterification. This process consists of mixing methanol with sodium hydroxide, and mixing that product with the soybean oil. This blend can then be combined in different percentages with petroleum diesel to create biodiesel. Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, said biodiesels are also more environmentally-friendly than petroleum diesel, having far lower carbon dioxide emissions and degrading four times faster. Plus, using them limits our dependence on foreign oil. Soy-based biodiesel performs almost identically to conventional diesel fuel in the areas of consumption, horsepower and torque. Brannon said contrary to what most people believe, there are no negative ramifications to using biodiesel. Biodiesels support our industry, it is a natural resource and we can grow soy beans every year so its renewable, Brannon said. The fact is, one day, were going to run out of oil and were going to need these alternatives. The farms currently dont have the certificates necessary to manufacture their own biodiesels and instead, are supplied with biodiesel by MidWest Terminal one of only four soy-based biodiesel distributors in Kentucky via the Murray State Motor Pool. Owensboro Grain furnishes these four distributors with their soy-based biodiesel, and is the only producers of soy-based biodiesel in Kentucky. Brannon said there are units out in the agriculture industry, and areas available with which
TONY BRANNON
The fact is, one day, were going to run out of oil and were going to need these alternatives.
Dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture
The school of agriculture recently acquired a bio-burner, a device that converts biomass into energy. Rick Jones, a Bio-Burner representative, explains that the bio-burner is capable of running off of any bio-product as long as it has less than 35 percent moisture at any size under two inches. The bio-burner recently placed in the Garrett Center was fired up for the first time Wednesday. Jones said the school of agriculture could use horse manure, sawdust shavings from the horse barns, straw or other small plants.