Beginning this week, the Birmingham Airport Authority will begin using biodiesel fuel in all diesel-burning engines in its fleet of vehicles and equipment.
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum-based diesel. It is made from renewable resources like soybeans, other natural fats and oils that can reduce emissions on engines by as much as 20 percent.
Twenty vehicles and 15 tractors and other pieces of equipment used to maintain the airport campus will use biodiesel, amounting to nearly 30,000 gallons of fuel per year. Although biodiesel, an alternative fuel, can cost slightly more than petroleum diesel, the air quality benefits far outweigh the increase, said Al Denson, executive director of the Birmingham Airport Authority.
In addition to increasing the overall efficiency of vehicle and equipment engines, the change in fuel will lower engine emissions and allow for cleaner air in the areas surrounding the airport, he said.
''As the first airport in the state to incorporate biodiesel into our airport management plan, it is important to us to be responsible members of the community and do what we can to put Birmingham one step closer to cleaner air and possible ozone attainment in Jefferson and Shelby Counties,'' Denson said in a statement.
The Birmingham Airport Authority purchased its first truckload of biodiesel - a blend called B20 - on Monday. The product was sold and is scheduled to be delivered on a ''next day basis'' by Hager Oil Co. of Jasper, a member of the Central Alabama Clean Cities organization based in Birmingham.
The biodiesel was produced by another Clean Cities member, Alabama Biodiesel Corp., at its Moundville refinery in Tuscaloosa County. The soybean oil used to manufacture the biodiesel is processed at the Decatur facility of Bunge North America.
''Can you think of a better way to utilize Alabama products at home? Hats off to the Birmingham Airport for this first,'' said Jim Price, executive director of Central Alabama Clean Cities, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Birmingham Airport spokeswoman Patty Howell said the slight increase in the costs from using biodiesel is overshadowed by the benefits provided to the environment.
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