This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah resident Gates Campbell, a University of Utah student in mining engineering, has spent the last 18 months researching and testing a green fuel additive, produced by Utah-based Sustainable Equipment Technology (SET). This additive has major environmental benefits, as well as cost saving opportunities for the trucking industry. She and Professor Mike Nelson collaborated on the tests with Sysco Intermountain, an industry leading food service distributor. Ultimately, the partnership provided the opportunity to complete this groundbreaking research.

Used in diesel engines, this technology can help save our planet, one mile at a time. As a first-of-its-kind product, it is an important example of the surprises that are often found in the world of green technology. Here are five things that you may not know about this new fuel additive, and the green technology industry:

1. This fuel additive increases miles per gallon by 12%. As a baseline, the EPA equates the amount of carbon dioxide CO2, which is a greenhouse gas, for 1 gallon of diesel fuel burned results in 22.38 pounds of CO2. Using this additive increased fuel efficiency by a whopping 12% increase in MPG's in tractor trailer combinations on real world routes! At the Sysco Intermountain location saw a savings of 2,076,477 pounds, or 942 metric tons, of greenhouse gas emissions saved. According to the EPA, average CO2 per vehicle is 5.2 metric tons. The savings from the additive at the Sysco Intermountain location is will be equivalent to taking 181 cars off the road for an entire year. To put that into perspective, Sysco is just one of the many trucking companies operating on the Wasatch Front.

2. Using the additive reduced NOx emission levels by over 30%. In addition to the savings of greenhouse gasses from less fuel consumption, this fuel additive also reduces the emissions from the burned fueled. The emissions showed a reduction by 38% in NOx. NOx is linked to forming smog, which is a well-known air quality problem in Utah.

3. Together the increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions create a financially viable product with a twofold environmental benefit. There is a surprising third and less visible environmental and financial benefit, because the additive showed a marked decrease in truck regenerations. Regeneration is the process of cleaning soot particles from the truck's exhaust filter, to prevent back pressure in the system. Fewer regenerations lead to less down time in the truck and less waste because the diesel particulate filters do not need to be replaced and/or cleaned as often.

4. This product was tested in a real-world setting. This is not the norm in the US, where most such products are tested only in the controlled setting of a lab, and actual results can differ greatly from those seen in practice. In Europe, more testing is moving to on-the-road car testing, but that has not been the norm. Real world testing is difficult because there are many more variables and the operating conditions are more severe. The successful fuel additive testing procedure at Sysco Intermountain required extensive trial-and-error development. The test equipment had to be selected for the on-the-road environment, and had to be attached to the trucks so that it was safe and easily accessible.

In the end, data collection was mostly automated. Fuel consumption and regenerations were monitored and recorded by the truck's on-board computer. Emissions were recorded by an instrument attached to the truck's exhaust, and the emission recording system was continuously monitored by a researcher in the cab of the truck.

5. Realistic green technology research is difficult and limited. Because of high cost, as well as time investments, it is difficult for most companies to justify such research. This is not the case with Sysco Intermountain and SET, who collaborated with Dr. Nelson and Ms. Campbell on this study, which otherwise could have cost anywhere from $200,000 to well over $1,000,000. Sysco Intermountain understands how important it is to support research, and was a key partner in this groundbreaking study.

If you would like learn more about SET's fuel additive and other green technologies and products, please visit http://sustainableequipmenttechnology.com