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National Fire Plan Success Story

Bio-diesel Slash Fuel Mix
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction

A fuels technician filling a slash fuel tank in a pickup truck.
A Medford District fuels technician is filling slash fuel tank with B99 bio-diesel in Phoenix, Oregon.

A fuels technician using a drip torch.
A Medford District fuels technician is completing ignition of prescribed fire unit using bio-slash fuel mix in drip torch.

You have probably heard that some BLM districts are using bio-diesel to power their fleet vehicles and heavy equipment. Have you ever wondered how bio-diesel might work in your drip torch? According to Medford District BLM fuels management personnel, bio-diesel works just fine with drip torches. In an effort to comply with agency policy, the Medford District BLM has been experimenting with bio-diesel and slash fuel mixing. To date, Medford BLM has used over 1,200 gallons of bio-diesel during prescribed fire operations.

The burn mix is made by using B99 (99% bio-diesel) and regular unleaded gasoline in the standard 3:1 slash fuel mixture. Bio-based slash fuel has been utilized in both hand pile burn and broadcast burn situations since early 2006.

Bio-slash fuel burns similar to regular petroleum diesel/gas mix, but with less noxious wick smoke. Although the wick smoke is still toxic, it has more of a cooking oil smell instead of the usual sulfur or diesel fumes. The liquid form during mixing and handling is less toxic to BLM personnel and the environment. The cost after using the "off road" discount is comparable to that of retail diesel #2 prices. Bio-diesel has a solvent effect on the slash tanks and drip torches and seems to prevent sediment build up. Bio-diesel has a slightly higher flashpoint than regular diesel, but still works just fine in the 3:1 mix.

There are many good reasons to use bio-diesel in any application that replaces fossil fuel such as energy independence, less toxicity, reduction of green house gases, and it has a positive energy balance (yields more energy than takes to produce). When ethanol (E85) becomes more available to southwest Oregon, it has potential to replace unleaded gasoline and help achieve a truer bio-slash fuel mix.