According to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) the Department of Defense is now testing bio-based oil in federal vehicles, reports the American Soybean Association.

Currently tests include oil made from a 25-40 percent mix of products derived from canola or soybean oil, as well as animal fat.  Tests are being conducted at four Air Force bases and a Department of Homeland Security facility.  The DLA reports they hope to expand the program soon.

“Our office funds projects like this to find alternatives not only to reduce hazardous materials, but to reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” Andy Shaban, chemical engineer and DLA Aviation program manager, said in a statement. “Oil and greases are typically composed of base oils thickened with polymers, solids and other additives, which are considered hazardous. Our job is to find an environmentally safer substitute for the traditional oil that military and federal agencies use in non-tactical vehicles.”

The tests, which are designed to assess the compatibility of bio-based synthetic oil in government fleets, are being conducted under authority granted by Congress in the 2002 Farm Security and Investment Act. The Pentagon uses about 1.1 million gal of four-cycle engine oil in 180,000 vehicles each year, according to DLA. A total of 633,000 vehicles are maintained by the federal government overall, it said.

The testing began in January at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. Bio-based synthetic oil replaced conventional motor oil in four base vehicles. The process was repeated on 40 more vehicles at air bases in Arizona, Montana and Washington state at the DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

The testing centers were selected to provide information about the environmental impact different climates may have on the oil.  The study will consists of driving and long idling sessions for a 12-18 month period.

“Some of the testing will be based on mileage, some will be time-based,” Shaban said. “After a certain mileage or time frame, the oil will be removed and sent to a lab for testing. If the requirement was to change the conventional oil at 5,000 miles, we will test the bio-based oil at 5,000 miles and compare.

Biosynthetic Technologies, G-Oil (Loch Sciences) and BioBlend are providing the synthetic oil.