Demonstration project of OxyDiesel fuel launched in Illinois

24 November 1998

Pure Energy Corporation announced a demonstration project to test the use of OxyDiesel, a blend of ethanol and diesel fuel. The test will take place in a fleet of trucks at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Decatur, IL.

The OxyDiesel fuel will be tested in unmodified diesel engines. Three brand new Mack trucks will be committed to the project; two operating on E-15 OxyDiesel, and one as a control. Each truck will be driven over 100,000 miles on the new fuel, then examined for excessive wear. A 400-500 hour durability test will also be performed at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign using a new diesel engine and OxyDiesel fuel.

OxyDiesel is a proprietary formulation of diesel, ethanol and solubilizing agents. The formulation, developed by Pure Energy Corporation of New York, is designed to keep the two fuels from separating. Emission improvements relative to petrodiesel are claimed for the OxyDiesel. According to Pure Energy Corp. cost estimates, the fuel would cost a few cents more per gallon than conventional diesel fuel.

The project is supported by Governor Jim Edgar of Illinois. "Throughout my administration I have strongly supported the use of clean-burning, renewable ethanol fuel, made from Illinois corn," the Governor said. "Illinois is the leading producer of ethanol in the United States, with an annual production of more than 600 million gallons. The successful blending of ethanol and diesel fuel will reduce harmful emissions from trucks and buses, and stimulate the agricultural economy and the ethanol industry in Illinois and across the nation."

The next OxyDiesel test and demonstration project is planned with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in a fleet of urban transit buses.

Source: Pure Energy Corporation