Department of Defense Tests O2Diesel Fuel

O2Diesel Corporation announced in April that testing of a new renewable fuel for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has begun. Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, has devoted a section of its fleet for the testing, and it will use the demonstration fleet to prove that the new fuel is safe and effective.

O2Diesel is composed of 28 percent renewable fuels including ethanol, biodiesel, and O2Diesel Corporation's own patented and proprietary biomass-derived stabilizing additive. The fuel was tested extensively at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, for synergy between the ethanol, biodiesel, and stabilizing additive with the main focus given to key air pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx). Although further emissions testing continues, testing at Nellis Air Force Base will focus more on real-world challenges including storage, handling, and the use of the fuel in extreme conditions of heat, cold, and humidity.

The DOD is the nation's single largest consumer of diesel and distillate fuels in the United States. By testing, and soon using more renewable fuels, the DOD will begin cutting diesel engine emissions produced from its military fleets as directed by the Bush administration's Twenty in Ten plan. The plan asks Americans to reduce their consumption of foreign petroleum by 20 percent in the next ten years.

"Our new fuel will qualify for so-called 'EPACT' credits under the federal law to federal, state, and other regulated fleets," said Alan Rae, CEO for O2Diesel. "The ability to rapidly deploy the fuel with limited to no change in the fueling infrastructure is a good example of how CleanTech fuel technologies can easily be adopted and implemented by large fleet consumers of diesel fuel. Continued funding through the DOD will enable O2Diesel to complete all the regulatory requirements that any new fuel must meet prior to enterprise-wide deployment."