Westfield Schools join biodiesel fuel production world

At a recent Westfield School Board meeting District Administrator, Roger Schmidt invited representatives from the press to witness the production of biodiesel at the District’s Transportation Department. What followed was a guided tour of the production process, complete with taste test.

Transportation Director, Scott Petersen explained that the project was truly a collaborative effort, crediting Scott Langenfeld of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative as the one who brought the initial idea of alternative fuels to the district. After some discussion, Petersen and Langenfeld were off to the District Administrator’s office where Agribusiness Instructor Paul Zuelke seemed like a natural fit for the project. Brakebush’s Transportation Director, Mike Schwersenska, got them pointed in the right direction with a little information and the biodiesel production project was born.

Now the only thing that prevented implementation was a source of used oil and the hardware to manufacture the product. Carl Brakebush of Brakebush Brothers, Inc. took care of providing a source for used oil, and Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY) of Marquette County took care of the equipment by providing a $5,000 grant that covered nearly the entire start-up cost.

Currently, the district is receiving vegetable oil from Brakebush Brothers, the Pioneer Restaurant, Village Inn, Folstrom’s Food & Fuel, Arevalo’s Hot Dogs, and Oxford Fuel & Food in exchange for a tax deduction for the market price of their used oil, a win-win situation for both the district and the businesses.

Looking at the equipment, or lack of it, the process does not look that complicated. In the corner of the bus garage sit two tanks on a stand that was fabricated by Brian Schraffrath, the district’s lead mechanic and fabricator for this project. Mounted with the tanks are three pumps, and an electric automation center that was created by Scott Petersen, complete with switches, timers, and solenoids. Including a lab table they use for the titration testing, the whole project is contained in an area of about 60 square feet.

The process is a little lengthy to explain in a couple of newspaper columns, but is explained very well on the web, if one types in “biodiesel” at Wikipedia.com. Currently, the district is producing 40 gallons a day with the capability of producing up to 80 gallons. In the summer mixture, which is a 98% blend of biodiesel, 40 gallons of used oil are mixed with 8 gallons of methanol, and between 600-700 grams of lye to produce 40 gallons of biodiesel. The byproducts produced (glycerin and wash water) are both biodegradable and nontoxic, which Petersen demonstrated by drinking it as it drained from the tank.

On an environmental note: The burning of biodiesel produces approximately 60% less emissions than petrodiesel, has a friendly aroma, and improves engine performance. Although we were not able to assess the emission or performance of the 3 busses, tractor, dump truck, and 2 lawnmowers that the district currently runs on their biodiesel we were able to stand behind a running bus, and to our surprise it actually smelled more like a McDonald’s restaurant than anything else.

Other benefits besides the environmentally friendly aspects mentioned include: Savings to the district’s transportation costs (biodiesel production rate is approximately $1.15/gallon opposed to the current petrodiesel rate of $4.71/gallon), tax deductions for local business owners, and an updated experiential-based curriculum through Agribusiness Instructor Paul Zuelke for which students can earn science credits that will be recognized at UW institutions.

Anyone interested in learning more about the project is encouraged to attend the “Open House” on August 16th at the District’s Transportation Department.