Syntroleum technology helping fuel Washington DC city buses

A Tulsa-area company's environmentally-friendly fuel is getting a test drive in the nation's capital. <br/><br/>Syntroleum Corporation designed a super-clean diesel fuel. And now it's being

Wednesday, September 22nd 2004, 1:07 pm

By: News On 6

A Tulsa-area company's environmentally-friendly fuel is getting a test drive in the nation's capital.

Syntroleum Corporation designed a super-clean diesel fuel. And now it's being rolled out in Washington DC city buses.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims tells us we could be on the road to cleaner fuel and cleaner air. City buses in Washington DC aren't belching black smoke any more. A new clean-burning fuel developed right here in Oklahoma is powering DC buses, without a leaving such a toxic trail.

Syntroleum VP Jeff Bigger: "There's no nitrogen compounds, there's no sulphur compounds, so when it burns, it burns straight into carbon dioxide and water, so it's a very clean combustion."

Tulsa-based Syntroleum Corporation has spent 20 years developing this super-clean diesel fuel. They produced the first-large scale batch just six months ago. Now it's a getting a test drive in Washington DC buses and Alaska's Denali National Park.

Scott Wayne with West Virginia University: "Our preliminary results are showing a 20% reduction in carbon monoxide emissions." Preliminary results show better air quality and improved health conditions. But breathing a little easier isn't the only benefit.

Syntroleum technology makes it possible to tap natural gas reserves that were considered unreachable. Syntroleum President and COO Jack Holmes: "There's about 25,000 TCF of known stranded gas in the world today that using Syntroleum's technology we can turn into clean burning fuels and thatâ€™s a win for everybody."

The Syntroleum says it's the way of the future. And they're looking for more ways to power your drive with clean fuel. Syntroleum says they're not stopping with diesel trucks. They're developing a formula that could be used for jets.