U.S. Air Force Testing BioBased Vehicle Oil Created From Canola Seed, Soybean, And Synthetic Petroleum

On March 22, 2016, a team visited Malmstrom Air Force Base to test a new biobased synthetic oil in the base’s vehicles. The testing is sponsored by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with four bases chosen to use the plant based synthetic oil in vehicles. The Department of Homeland Security’s Law Enforcement Training Center has also begun testing the oil and will be monitoring the impacts on vehicle performance and engine quality over the next 12-18 months. George Handy, the project manager, stated that the use of biobased oil is not expected to result in “any change in the performance of any of the vehicles because they are already running on synthetic fuels.” If the testing goes well, the biobased oil will be available to purchase through normal channels, improving national security through the use of a domestically produced sustainable product.