The first BioTour bus traversed the USA on a trip from Massachusetts to Nevada for the Burning Man Festival in 2006. This group of young people is traveling across the USA in 4 buses powered by solar power and waste fryer grease from restaurants. The busses have already traveled through 42 states, and have held more than 70 events at colleges, other schools, and community gatherings.
Five Interesting Facts:
1. My first question was how clean does waste vegetable oil burn? Their answer: It greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions when compared to diesel fuel, it has no sulfur (which causes acid rain), it has fewer particulates than diesel fuel which causes asthma and other respiratory ailments.
2. The buses run on waste vegetable oil collected from restaurants across the country. As a result, the emissions smell like french fries. The bus warms up and shuts down on biodiesel (biodiesel is chemically altered vegetable oil) or petrodiesel when biodiesel is unavailable for purchase.
3. Only diesel engines can be converted to burn waste fryer grease. Alterations to the fuel delivery system are required so that the oil is heated and thinned before burning.
4. The solar panels on the roof of the bus generate electricity that charge a battery bank. The battery bank is charged by the bus alternator while the engine is running. The batteries provide electricity for lights, stereo, cell phones, laptop computers, and most other common electronic devices.
5. On the down side: There is not enough vegetable oil to replace the 22 million barrels of oil the United States consumes each day. “There is no silver bullet to solve our energy needs, only silver buckshot.” (Lonnie Gamble, Big Green Summer Program)
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