Americas News
U.S. Army Vessels Use Soy-based Biofuel
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is using soybean-based biofuel to run several boats as a test program to advance the use of alternative energy.
The M/V Raccoon, a debris-removal vessel operating in the San Francisco area, is one of six soy-fuelled ships.
"The best thing about it is it's clean," said Ken Danielson, chief of the district's Navigation Branch.
"It puts out less emissions; it has less odor, which makes the crew happy, particularly the boat operator, because he's up there by the stacks, and the diesel exhaust would come right into the pilot house."
The Army Corps overhauled the vessel in 2011 to allow it to run on the biofuel, in part to reduce carbon emissions.
The U.S. Navy has also been pushing for more biofuel use, partly to reduce its vulnerability to changes in the price of oil.
Most biofuels in use currently come from food sources such as soybeans or corn, but these types of fuels have come under fire from organisations like British independent policy think tank Chatham House, which argues they have indirect effects like shifting land use that cause more environmental problems than fossil fuels.
