By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
Oct. 10, 2003
Buses that travel to and from West Lauderdale Elementary School soon will run on a mixture of recycled vegetable oil from local restaurants and conventional diesel fuel.
Starting in about two weeks, and for the rest of the school year, nine buses will run on B10 fuel, a mixture of 10 percent biodiesel fuel and 90 percent conventional diesel fuel. One of the benefits of biodiesel fuel is that it produces less harmful emissions than common diesel fuel, officials said.
The Lauderdale County School District announced Thursday a partnership with the Mississippi Development Authority's Energy Division to participate in a pilot program that consists of using biodiesel fuel in school buses.
The fuel will be paid for by a $4,700 grant from the Mississippi Development Authority. At $1.75 to $3 a gallon, biodiesel fuel is more expensive than standard diesel fuel, which currently costs about $1.29 a gallon.
Biodiesel fuel is made locally by Bill Webster and Bob Glenn at Bio-Diesel Fuels of Mississippi, located on Old Eighth St. Road.
Webster said he believes the benefits of using biodiesel fuel far outweighs the cost.