GAITHERSBURG, MD – Two and a half years ago, the city of Gaithersburg, Md., abandoned its biodiesel fleet program because a bacterial buildup in the city’s fuel tank was causing filters on the city’s fleet vehicles to clog. But according to Gazette.Net, City officials are hopeful that problem has been resolved.

Mark Scafide, Gaithersburg’s biodiesel project manager, told the Web site that the City now uses B5 fuel composed of 95 percent petrodiesel and 5 percent soy-based biodiesel to fuel about 15 Department of Public Works vehicles. The City schedules annual tank cleanings and adds a biocide to the tanks to prevent the kind of bacterial buildup that derailed earlier efforts.  

If all goes well, the city hopes to eventually shift B5-fueled city vehicles to B20 (20 percent biodiesel) – the blend used in the City’s original biodiesel program.

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