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7/18/2023
CSX continues to carry out a project aimed at certifying an alternative fuel for use in locomotives.
The Class I is testing a 20% soybean oil-based fuel in 10 locomotives that help serve phosphate customer Mosaic in Tampa, Florida. The tests — which began in 2022 and are yielding impressive results — will demonstrate the effectiveness of a B20 biodiesel blend in Wabtec Corp. FDL Advantage engines, CSX officials said in a press release.
The locomotives so far have consumed more than 200,000 gallons of B20 fuel, which can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by nearly 20%. Among the project’s goals: to provide verified emissions reduction data, monitor the impacts of B20 on locomotive engine components and gain U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for long-term use of higher biodiesel fuel blends in locomotives, CSX officials said.
“The broader impact this will have in enabling our customers to accelerate some of the commitments they’ve made to their customers to reduce their environmental footprint [is exciting],” said Arthur Adams, the Class I’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Mosaic is a key project partner by allowing the testing to take place on the fleet that operates in dedicated service for its mining, manufacturing and distribution operations in the Tampa area, CSX officials said. Operating the locomotives in closed-loop service has provided a controlled test environment, they added.
The project also involves Wabtec, which has modernized the 10 AC4400 locomotives with FDL Advantage engine technology and will periodically perform necessary EPA emission testing on the units at its facility in Erie, Pennsylvania.
CSX expects to complete the test this year and submit the results to the EPA in 2024.