FARM TRACTORS, CITY BUSES AND BOAT TO TEST `SOYDIESEL' FUEL

PORTAGEVILLE -- Five farm tractors will be powered with esterified soybean oil during a study at the University of Missouri Delta Center here.

"Tractors used in daily operation of the research center were randomly selected for the biodiesel study," said Leon Schumacher, UM agriculture engineer.

All of the tractors will be fueled on different blends of soybean oil and diesel fuel for one month at a time. Samples of the crankcase oil will be collected from the tractors at the end of each month.

"You can tell a lot about how a tractor is operating by analyzing the oil," said Schumacher.

In addition, the tractors will be hooked up on dynamometers monthly to take horsepower ratings.

In another test of blending soy and regular diesel fuels, fuels are being tested in an elderly transportation program in St. Louis and St. Louis County, and a soydiesel engine will be used to power a 24-foot boat as its makes its way "around the world" visiting 200 cities in 80 countries.

The first tests of the tractor study are under way. The tractors will be fueled on 100 percent diesel fuel for the first month. On July 6, they will be converted to a 50-50 mixture of diesel and soy oil.

After that, different blends of duel will be burned each months. Blends containing 10, 20, 20 and 40 percent soybean oil will be tested.

The study of soybean oil as a farm fuel is one part of a three-part study being financed by a $62,000 grant from the American Soybean Association.

Other parts of the study include a study of the economic impact of using esterified soybean oil instead of petroleum for farm power. Agricultural economists will conduct that portion of the study at Missouri University's Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute.

In addition, there will be a study of how other countries are using soybean oil as fuel.

"The esterification process for converting vegetable oil to fuel was developed in the U.S. during World War II," said Schumacher. "The Europeans are far ahead of us. They have been using alternative fuels since World War II."

One problem with using soybean oil in a new engine in the U.S. is that it voids the warranty on the engine, noted Schumacher. "In Austria, the government says if your to sell an engine you must give a warranty for use with soybean oil."

Schumacher said soybean oil is a clean burning fuel that releases few hydrocarbons into the air.

He added that he expects to see little if any increased wear on engines burning soybean oil. There are tractors at the University of Idaho that have run from 4,000 to 6,000 hours without any signs of increased wear.

Schumacher plans to use the tractors at the Delta Center to pull tour wagons during fields at the center. "People can see that the oil works in tractors," he said. "And, they will notice that it smells cleaner."

A blend of 25 percent soy and 75 percent regular diesel fuel will be tested over three months in 46 elderly transportation vans at St. Louis.

The Land of Lincoln Soybean Association in Springfield, Ill., and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council will each spend about $6,000 on the testing program.

Since soy diesel is more expensive than regular diesel - about 50 cents a gallon more - the soy fuel would be more practical in cities that must lower emissions under the Clean Air Act guidelines, said Chris Magnuson, director of the Illinois association.

"We figure it's more of a niche market," Magnuson said. The fuel may also be used to operate forklifts or other indoor equipment where a clean-burning fuel is necessary, he said.

The soy fuel has been tried before. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport tested a 30 percent soy-diesel blend for seven months and is now arranging a regular supply for about 150 vehicles, said administrator Bill Korte.

Magnuson said the new refining process called esterification has improved soy fuel's performance, making it easier to burn by mixing alcohol and regular soy oil.

Bryan Peterson will pilot the boat on its 200-city tour which starts July 4. The 52,000-mile tour is expected to take two years.