subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, May 17 2008 

Published May 11, 2008 12:00 am - CNHI News Service
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Record fuel prices got you down? Can't figure out how to cut costs...


College beating fuel prices with vegetable oil


The Norman Transcript

CNHI News Service

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Record fuel prices got you down? Can't figure out how to cut costs? Take a green lesson from Merrimack College.

The small liberal arts school north of Boston has cooked up a new way to cut expenses by blending cooked vegetable oil with diesel fuel to power 25 of its diesel-dependent maintenance vehicles and machines, ranging from lawn mowers to a dump truck.

Bob Coppola, the college's director of physical plant, estimated the oddball mix will save about $10,000 a year in fuel costs. An added benefit, he said, is a trace of French fry scent emitted by the vehicles across the campus.

"There's no downside," Coppola said. "We save dollars and reduce our carbon footprint."

Coppola said the idea came to him when he saw a Discovery Channel show about using vegetable oil for fuel. That led to an Internet search and more information about the possibility of blending it with diesel fuel.

Two months of trial and error led to the winning formula of 80 percent diesel fuel and 20 percent used vegetable oil. He also learned the vehicles had to be kept warm in a garage in the winter because vegetable oil is thicker than diesel fuel and thus solidfies when cold.

Coppola said the cooked vegetable oil comes from the college's cafeteria, which uses 1,200 gallons per year. It is filtered numerous times to remove flour, batter and other cooking elements before it goes into a tank for heating to 120 degrees. Then it is transferred to another tank, where the diesel fuel is added and made ready for pumping into the various vehicles.

Coppola said the low-cost fuel idea gave his department something new to concentrate on -- a college experiment outside of the science labs.

"It has been a fun project," he said. "It gives us a chance to do a different type of work."

Coppola's only concern is if the cafeteria could suddenly go healthy and cut down on fried food.

But he isn't too worried. He quipped that the demand for french fries might well increase now that they fragrant the campus.

Drake Lucas writes for The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.

Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.




monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

LPN NEEDED
LOCAL HOME HEALTH AGENCY
has immediate opening for full-time LPN for Noble office. Must have
excellent organi
...>MORE

FT General Office Position
for Busy Doctors Office. Must Have Computer, Good People & Phone Skills. 40 Hrs, Mon-Thurs. Bring
Resume to 900
...>MORE

Now Hiring
Journeyman Plumber
Fulltime with benefits.
City Plumbing Heating & Air 321-6017
...>MORE

Part time Office Help
2 Days Per week, Apply Mon-Friday, 9am-4pm, Moore Overhead Door,
315 S.E. 4th St. Moore Oklahoma
...>MORE

Full-Time Warehouse Help
Apply in person @
Marquis Furniture
116 S. Crawford, Norman
...>MORE

CMA * MAT * CNA
Gas Prices getting you down!
Come see us in Norman.
Call 405 224-0543
...>MORE

Norman Public Schools
Maintenance Department
Summer Hire
(Temporary Labor)
June 2, 2008 - July 25, 2008
General Labor, Yar
...>MORE

THE MONT
Now accepting applications for
SERVERS. Must be available for day shifts beginning at 10:30am.
Service experie
...>MORE

The University of Oklahoma
Fleet Services
Equipment Operations Maintenance Person IV
(Automotive Technician)
Job Requisition: 048
...>MORE

TOP PAY & EXCELLENT BENEFITS!!
Orientation at a Comprehensible Pace!

Oklahoma Company
Serving Oklahoma
Communities!

Phy
...>MORE

P/T Front Office
Person Needed
for weekends & evenings. Excellent phone/interpersonal skills, computer skills helpful, professional
...>MORE

MED-CORP PLUS, INC.
*FLEXIBLE HOURS*
Now Hiring in Norman & Moore Area
Personal Care Assistants
Need Caring, Dependable Peopl
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Homes

Call This Ad!
No Cost Application Over the Phone!
Zero Down with Land, Even if it's Not Paid Off.
Doubles, Triples, Single
...>MORE

(34) Used Homes For Sale
Doubles & Singles
Delivery & Set Included
www.midstatehousing.com
(405)-527-5669
...>MORE

Brookhaven Townhouse • 3Bd/2Bth
Oversized Garage • 2220 SF
325 Stafford Square • $249,900
447-5226 or 250-4535 or 250-6753
...>MORE

NO LAND?
Land/Home Packages with Small Down Payment Anywhere in the State. Starting at $2500 Down, You Can Own Your Own Land and ...>MORE

FOR SALE BY OWNER
901 Rambling Oaks
(Corner of Rye & Rambling Oaks)
2 Bd/ 1.5 Bth / 2 Car • 2 Living Areas
Approx. 1400 sq.
...>MORE

1526 Glen Cliff Dr • 3Bd/1Bth
2 Liv Areas. Complete Remodeled
NEW Roof • $93,900
Tom @ Homeworx 613-1493
...>MORE

Beautiful Floor Plan 316 Towry DR
4Bd/3Bth/2Din/2Liv/3Car • 2550 sq’
Large Kitchen w/Island • Near NNHS
$241,000 • FSBO • 405-701-3913
...>MORE

FSBO 813 E Eufaula 1000 sf +/-,
LG Lot, Many Upgrades 2Bd/1Bth/
Bonus Rm • As is, $79,900
View Appt 405-360-0752 Lv Msg
...>MORE

"HOME ON ACREAGE"
Purcell Schools, 2 Living Areas,
Ctr Island, Covered Patio, Like New!
Free Recorded Message 1-800-590-2682 Ext
...>MORE

Mobile Home Sales
Lots w/ util. for sale
I-240 & Anderson Rd.
Circle C Estates
Owner will finance
www.midstatehousin
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Extras

••FSBO East Norman
Core Area
1000 sf +/-, LG Lot, Many Upgrades
2Bd/1Bth/Bonus Rm • As is, $79,900 View Appt 405-360-0752 Lv Msg
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

rc