Green

Hutchinson Salt’s Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

Hutchinson Salt became the first salt mine to switch to B100 biodiesel fuel in June of 2003.

Air quality is a critical issue for workers who use diesel engines in confined spaces, and using biodiesel fuel in mining equipment is one way to help protect their health. The Hutchinson Salt Company, Hutchinson, Kansas, is the first mine of any kind to use B100 (100 percent biodiesel).

“We use B100 biodiesel in everything underground that runs on diesel,” said Max Liby, VP of Manufacturing for the mine. “The main benefit is we’ve cleaned up soot in the air and have cut particulates. Workers, particularly the operator of the loaders, like the soy biodiesel much better because they say particulates do not get in their nostrils and the air is noticeably cleaner. Also, lubricity is much greater than if we used regular diesel fuel, so the injector pumps and injectors work more efficiently. The soy biodiesel actually cleans the injectors,” he said.
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High Plains / Midwest Ag Journal states that, “Biodiesel burns cleaner, reduces emissions like particulate matter by 47 percent and cuts carcinogens 80 to 90 percent. Biodiesel is sulfur-free, non-flammable and biodegrades faster than sugar.”
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