The Daily OrangeOn reserve: ESF unveils two 3,000- gallon biodiesel storage tanks to power on-campus vehicles
By Jess Siart
Posted: 9/24/09, 3:09 AM EST Section: News
Two 3,000-gallon biodiesel storage tanks will provide renewable fuel as part of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's ongoing green initiatives.
ESF President Cornelius Murphy and Rep. William B. Magnarelli, D-Syracuse, conducted a final test Sept. 16 on the two storage tanks. The test was required for the plant to be deemed fully operational.
The tanks were installed last winter behind Walters Hall on ESF's campus. The fuel will provide alternative energy to vehicles used for maintenance and transportation.
The project is one of 40 initiatives outlined in ESF's Climate Action Plan, proposed Sept. 15, detailing the school's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2015.
Magnarelli secured the start-up funding for this project through $500,000 in grants from the state. The funding was used to purchase a processor that converts waste cooking oil to biodiesel, as well as the two storage tanks and two buses that run on biodiesel.
"By bringing such energy alternatives to campus vehicles, ESF is showing Central New York residents the available opportunities to save the environment through entrepreneurial and scientific advancements," Magnarelli said.
One of the storage tanks holds gasoline and ethanol, and the other holds biodiesel and diesel fuel. Each tank is equipped with a blending pump to allow for custom fuel mixtures.
"We wanted to have the ability to have custom blends of ethanol and gasoline so we can fuel the different vehicles to maximize the amount of sustainable and renewable fuels used," said Michael Kelleher, director of renewable energy systems at ESF.
The biodiesel is made from waste cooking oil from Syracuse University dining halls and is mixed with varying amounts of diesel, depending on the temperature. In the summer, 100 percent biodiesel can be used, but because of the lower temperatures in winter, only 20 percent can be used with diesel making up the remaining 80 percent.
ESF President Cornelius Murphy and Rep. William B. Magnarelli, D-Syracuse, conducted a final test Sept. 16 on the two storage tanks. The test was required for the plant to be deemed fully operational.
The tanks were installed last winter behind Walters Hall on ESF's campus. The fuel will provide alternative energy to vehicles used for maintenance and transportation.
The project is one of 40 initiatives outlined in ESF's Climate Action Plan, proposed Sept. 15, detailing the school's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2015.
Magnarelli secured the start-up funding for this project through $500,000 in grants from the state. The funding was used to purchase a processor that converts waste cooking oil to biodiesel, as well as the two storage tanks and two buses that run on biodiesel.
"By bringing such energy alternatives to campus vehicles, ESF is showing Central New York residents the available opportunities to save the environment through entrepreneurial and scientific advancements," Magnarelli said.
One of the storage tanks holds gasoline and ethanol, and the other holds biodiesel and diesel fuel. Each tank is equipped with a blending pump to allow for custom fuel mixtures.
"We wanted to have the ability to have custom blends of ethanol and gasoline so we can fuel the different vehicles to maximize the amount of sustainable and renewable fuels used," said Michael Kelleher, director of renewable energy systems at ESF.
The biodiesel is made from waste cooking oil from Syracuse University dining halls and is mixed with varying amounts of diesel, depending on the temperature. In the summer, 100 percent biodiesel can be used, but because of the lower temperatures in winter, only 20 percent can be used with diesel making up the remaining 80 percent.
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