By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

CHICAGO, Ill. — Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer locomotive route between Texas and Oklahoma has been operating “very well” on a 20 percent biodiesel blend (B20) made from beef tallow since mid-February, according to an Amtrak spokesman.

“We have not had any maintenance issues with the locomotive related to using this very different fuel, to my knowledge,” said Amtrak’s Marc Magliari.

Amtrak announced the groundbreaking research during April’s Earth Week, citing biodiesel’s ability to reduce hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide each by 10 percent, particulates by 15 percent and sulfates by 20 percent as a catalyst for the project.

The study is made possible through a $274,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. The beef byproduct is supplied by a Texas-based vendor.

The project has captured the attention of virtually everyone with an interest in the future of biofuel, considering Amtrak’s passenger rail service market presence and the implications the results of the trial could have on commercial rail service and producers of bioenergy products, such as soybean producers in the Midwest.

“I’m excited that Amtrak is willing to conduct this test project. Its potential is huge,” said Illinois state Rep. Donald Moffitt (R-Galesburg). “This study will help settle the questions of whether biodiesel will reduce the performance of (a locomotive) engine, and if it would void a warranty.

“I think that as we get the information from the pilot project, it will show that biodiesel is a very valuable product that needs to be looked at.”

The Heartland Flyer locomotive has been specially equipped to measure the effects of biodiesel on its engine. The study will be conducted through February 2011, after which Amtrak will consider the results.

Those in the Midwest who had hoped Amtrak would conduct the study in their region using a more traditional biodiesel type were initially surprised when the company announced it would use biodiesel made from beef tallow in the South for the pilot project. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched an attack on Amtrak and animal agriculture in general over the study.
“Using animals’ tortured corpses to power trains is not an environmentally friendly choice,” stated Bruce Friedrich, vice president for policy of PETA.

“One of the reasons this experiment has gotten so much attention is because we happen to be using beef tallow as the bio part of the biodiesel. That’s strictly coincidental,” Magliari told Farm World.
“It so happens that available biodiesel from that market is beef tallow because of the nature of agricultural production in that part of the world. There were some who thought we were going to use (products such as) soybeans, but in the end the available, dependable, scientifically validated material happened to be beef tallow.”

Magliari pointed out that whatever the source, Amtrak considers the experiment a determinant of the value of any renewable biodiesel. Whether the company would be compelled to commit to 100 percent biodiesel for its entire fleet based on positive results from the research project remains to be seen.

“If not (full) conversion, then certainly a greater use of this renewable fuel” could stem from the research, Magliari said.
Galesburg, where Moffitt’s office is located, is the second-largest rail yard in the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) rail system. If Amtrak switches to biodiesel to fuel its locomotives, he anticipates other rail providers such as BNSF could follow suit.

This could mean increased market opportunities for Illinois soybean producers along with the construction of new biodiesel refineries in the state.

“If this (biodiesel) test proves to be a good, reliable source of energy for Amtrak, that would open the door for at least further consideration of biofuels by the major (freight) rail carriers,” Moffitt said, “and that is a huge, huge market.”