Vehicle of change

The Big Green Bus rides again

Posted by Sarah van Schagen at 6:44 AM on 10 Aug 2007

Witness the Big Green Bus. Hard to miss, even amid the glaring sun and smog at Bonnaroo. I happened upon the crew of Dartmouth students at the festival last year and got just a few minutes to chat with them. This year, I sought them out on the festival grounds and then met up with them again when they rolled into Seattle last weekend.

During their 12,000-mile trek this summer, the Big Green Busriders are stopping at various events and landmarks ranging from a Doobie Brothers concert to Zion National Park to San Francisco Marathon Water Stop #3. And they're filling up at mom-and-pop diners and greasy spoons all along the way.

So how exactly does an adventure like this get underway?

bus interior It all started a few years ago when Dartmouth's Ultimate Frisbee team needed a cheap way to get to tournaments. Once an old school bus, their ride is now outfitted with a veggie-oil filtration system and storage tanks, solar panels, a wind turbine, (student-installed) FSC-certified wood floors, and a flat-screen TV. Not too shabby.

And the goals have changed a bit too. No longer carting Frisbee players and gear, the Bus is a vehicle of change -- carrying Dartmouth students who want to start a conversation about energy.

"We're not trying to force any kind of solution on anyone; just to generate this dialogue," says Dartmouth grad and Big Green Busrider Brent Butler. "We want people to argue with us. We want people to say, well, the reason biofuels are popular right now is because the U.S. government is subsidizing grains. (Of course, we have a surplus we need to get rid of, but normally biofuel is terrible.) These are the things we need people to start thinking about. Just to start questioning."

So first question, Brent -- how exactly does this thing work?

Diesel engines were originally made to run on vegetable oil (peanut oil) ... So the retrofit back to run on vegetable oil isn't a terribly difficult process. The engine itself is pretty much the same. What you have to be able to do is filter the vegetable oil to a grade that is clean enough to run through your engine. Because we're literally using what was, until very recently, frying french fries, fish, corndogs, whatever it is, we have to get all that extra stuff out so we're just left with the veggie oil. We have to filter everything a couple times to do that.

The one concern then is vegetable oil is a little bit thicker than regular petroleum, which makes the engine run sticky because engines nowadays are made to run on petroleum. So we heat the oil before it goes into the engine, using energy from the solar panels and also heat from the engine itself. So we run the vegetable oil as a coolant around the engine -- that keeps the oil nice and hot and makes it really smooth when it goes through our engine.

When you're driving, there's a little difference in power -- you don't get quite as much, but it runs much smoother. You don't get that clunk of a diesel engine -- it doesn't sound as loud. But it also, instead of smelling like diesel, it smells like a McDonald's, which we kinda dig.

For the 11 students and recent grads riding the bus this summer, the trip is all about education. The crew is well-versed in the inner workings of the bus' fuel system and the pros and cons of alternative energy -- whether sun, wind, or french fry grease -- and they're aiming to chat up everyone they meet. But they know this trip is just a first step.

"A weekend of listening to music and then on the side coming by to see a tent on biofuels isn't enough to make an informed opinion at all," Butler said. "It is enough to get you interested and then go do research on your own ... so for that it's great."

And what does Butler plan to do once they make it home at the end of the month? Will he pursue a career in biofuels? Alternative energy? Environmental education?

"I'm actually going to try my hand at being a stand-up comedian." Ha.

For story: Vehicle of change
14 Comments | Post a Comment

And so?

What's their message?

These are only my personal opinions.

by Ron Steenblik at 6:48 AM on 10 Aug 2007

Big Green Bus

Their message is that there are viable alternatives to petroleum power. That may be old news to Grist readers but it may still come as a revelation to many Americans. Roll on Big Green Bus!

by infp at 7:25 AM on 10 Aug 2007

Yes, but

If they mean yellow grease, that isn't much of an alternative. The United States produces approximately 12 billion pounds of animal fats (tallow) and recycled cooking oils (yellow grease) annually. At 8 pounds of fat or yellow grease per gallon of biodiesel (the ratio would be about the same when using the stuff straight, as the Big Green Bus does), that translates into 1.5 billion gallons a year that could be produced, if every bit of that fat and yellow grease were collected.

A more realistic top collection ratio would be more like 1/4 of the total. So that brings the number down to 375 million gallons a year of alternative fuel.

U.S. consumption of diesel fuel is running at around 56 billion gallons per year. So we're talking less than 3% displacement if somehow ALL the tallow and yellow grease could be collected and turned into or used as fuel. A more realistic maximum share would be 0.67%. (Don't forget, also, that these fats and oils also have other markets, particularly tallow for soap-making.)

And at what cost? Currently, biodiesel made from tallow benefits from a $1.00 per gallon federal subsidy; if it is made from yellow grease it gets a $.50 per gallon federal subsidy. Small producers merit an additional $0.10 subsidy. Many states provide their own subsidies on top of that.

Since the Big Green Bus is using straight recycled oils, it is doubtful its owners are receiving subsidies, but it is also doubtful that they are paying the federal tax on diesel (24.4 cents per gallon), nor state fuel excise taxes (which average 18.2 cents per gallon), nor other taxes levied on diesel (which average 10.1 cents per gallon), which total on average 52.7 cents per gallon.

The question then comes down to: could a 0.67% reduction in national diesel use be obtained for $225 million/year or less? My guess is yes.

These are only my personal opinions.

by Ron Steenblik at 8:10 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

Correction

Rereading, I realize my last sentence was unclear. (I wish there were an edit option.) What I meant to say was, "The question then comes down to: could a 0.67% reduction in national diesel use be obtained through other means for $225 million/year or less? My guess is yes.

These are only my personal opinions.

by Ron Steenblik at 8:45 AM on 10 Aug 2007

Biofuel Dialogue

I am fairly certain that most everyone who reads grist is now convinced of the utter implausability of replacing our current fuel consuption with biofuels. Obviously reduction is key, to start. Perhaps I am mistaken in my inerpretation, but I don't think the Big Green bus crew are disputing that, but rather spreading their fuel message and opening up a very important dialogue that may very well result in new innovation. (keeping in mind they also utilize wind and solar power in their vehicle makeup) I say: "Keep on Truckin'"

by greentrain at 10:06 AM on 10 Aug 2007

Question to Ron

Where does the 56 billion gallons of yellow grease come from?

Since the figure I've seen is 4.2 billion pounds.
Which is much less than 56 billion gallons.
(Considering petroleum weighs roughly 6.5 gallons)

Way I see it, it's closer to only 0.3% of our petroleum ground transport fuel needs.

by GreyFlcn at 10:44 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

Link

http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/376

Nationally, restaurants produce an average of 14 pounds of inedible grease per capita annually - a total of nearly 4.2 billion pounds each year in the United States alone. Much of this grease is disposed of in landfills, where it releases methane - a potent greenhouse gas - as it decomposes, sometimes directly to the atmosphere.

by GreyFlcn at 10:45 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

But even if it was peanut oil

One has to beg the question, how green is it to take nitrogen fixing plants. And then create a biofuel out of them.
http://greyfalcon.net/n2o.png
http://greyfalcon.net/lcarough7.png

Aren't we really just shooting ourselves in the foot?

Turning coal into diesel would be more ideal.

by GreyFlcn at 10:50 AM on 10 Aug 2007

RE: Question to Ron

GreyFlcn: I didn't say 56 billion gallons of grease, I said that annual consumption of diesel is 56 billion gallons.

Total production of yellow grease AND tallow is around 12 billion pounds.

But your estimate of 0.3% of our petroleum ground transport fuel needs (i.e., including gasoline) sounds reasonable.

These are only my personal opinions.

by Ron Steenblik at 10:51 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

So where could I cite

So where could I cite that 12 billion pounds figure from?

by GreyFlcn at 10:55 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

Also, can you

Also, can you really turn tallow into biodiesel?

I thought tallow had far too high a iodine content to make it worthwhile.

For instance, the chinese tallow trees.
Only the oil is useful to biodiesel, where as the tallow on the outside of the nuts doesn't appear to be worthwhile.

http://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2006/techprogram/P67546.HTM ...
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Sapium_seb ...

Perhaps thats specific to this one plant.

by GreyFlcn at 11:01 AM on 10 Aug 2007

More answers for GreyFlcn

This is not a primary source (which is probably th USDA; I just haven't found it yet). The number is from 2004: I've rounded up.

You are confusing the tallow nut with tallow as in animal fat. There are plenty of biodiesel plants using tallow (even fish oil) as a feedstock.

And then, of course, there is lipodiesel.

These are only my personal opinions.

by Ron Steenblik at 11:09 AM on 10 Aug 2007
[ Parent ]

Bus People

My partner, who is a 60s style synthesizer musician, and I traveled all over the country for 5 years from 1996 to 2001 in a converted schoolbus. Here's a link to a page in my blog with a picture of the bus: http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com/the-bus-people/

We traveled alone, not following a band or festival schedule, just on our own. We had all kinds of adventures, met all kinds of people, almost all of them kind. I'm writing a book about our adventures called, The Bus People. I love seeing the next generation keeping up the tradition of gypsy storytellers and I love that they are setting such a good example by how they are doing it.

http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

by swan at 5:33 PM on 10 Aug 2007

Feeding the planet

...to our cars.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 6:06 PM on 11 Aug 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.