UPS (NYSE: UPS) began using biodiesel blends at its most vital logistics hub in Louisville, Kentucky this month. The companies Worldport facility processes 416 thousand packages an hour and loads 100 aircraft every day.

The package carrier installed a biodiesel fuel tank and fueling station at its Worldport facility to allow its fueling operators to blend specified percentages of biodiesel for different machines, ranging from 5 percent (B5) to 20 percent (B20).

The Worldport facility, which is the size of 80 football fields, is the single most important point in all of UPS's global operation. It processes 416 thousand packages an hour and loads 100 aircraft every day.

Biodiesel is a biofuel made from renewable resources. It is a drop-in diesel fuel replacement that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 80 percent, compared to petroleum-based diesel.

The 30,000 gallon biodiesel tank and station fuels nearly 200 vehicles and diesel-fueled equipment, most of which help load packages on and off the planes.

"There is a finite amount of petroleum-based fuel available from our planet so it is important that UPS and other companies invest in ways to use alternative fuels and technologies, including biodiesel," said Scott Wicker, UPS Chief Sustainability officer. "This project helps us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels with the added benefit that it will also reduce air pollution and carbon emissions."

The National Biodiesel Board called UPS's switch to biodiesel monumental.

"For a giant like UPS to use biodiesel is not only an outstanding vote of confidence for biodiesel, but an example of how America's first advanced biofuel will fuel the drive towards genuine corporate sustainability," said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board.

Photo by zyphbear/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Life Media