Beyond the microbes: AFRL, 2nd BW work together

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason McCasland
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  With more than 760 government vehicles used on Barksdale, ground fuel is an important but often forgotten element to maintaining the Air Force mission.

Airmen with the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron and 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, 2nd Bomb Wing, who monitor and supply the fuel keeping Barksdale's vehicle fleet moving recently discovered a contamination in an 11,000 gallon biodiesel storage tank and took fuel samples for lab testing.

"The sample we recovered from the tank was something we hadn't seen before," said Senior Master Sgt. David Laun, 2nd LRS fuels management superintendent. "We forwarded the sample to the Air Force Research Laboratory team at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio for a better analysis. They have the resources to determine what the contamination is and how we can combat it; not just here but at any base. They confirmed there were micro-organisms within the biodiesel."

Since this was a new type of contamination, specialists visited Barksdale to get an up-close view of the fuel tank as it was being cleaned.

Dr. Wendy Goodson, team lead for the Microbial Contamination of Materials Group in AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, investigates the impacts of microbial biofilms on Air Force materials.

"AFRL wanted to be onsite for the cleaning because it is a rare opportunity to be able to sample the inside of a storage tank," said Dr. Goodson. "With the samples and the help of a team from the University of Oklahoma, we can understand where the organism came from and how to combat it in the future."

These microbes occur in all fuel systems, but the content of biodiesel can be the perfect environment for microbial growth. With the quick reaction and teamwork of Air Force agencies, only about 1,100 gallons of fuel were affected.

"We want to know which kinds of organisms stick to the tank walls. Those micro-organisms cause biodeterioration of tank materials and will contaminate each batch of fresh fuel delivered to the tank," Dr. Goodson said.

Identifying the culprits helps the Air Force formulate better mitigation strategies. AFRL uses the research data to design or select materials that deter the fungi or bacteria from sticking, or that resist biodeterioration.

"The Air Force is just getting up to speed on how to deal with biodiesel contamination. Barksdale is being very proactive about monitoring and mitigating the problem. Their willingness to team with us on this kind of study is critical to our ability to help solve future problems," said Dr. Goodson.

With team work between Barksdale, AFRL, University of Oklahoma and the Air Force Petroleum Agency, fuel supply contaminants can be battled with minimal impact to vehicle fleets.

"The data generated will help both CE and LRS make decisions locally, but ultimately data generated by AFRL will be directed to the AFPA so they can influence fuel tank maintenance strategies for the Air Force," said Dr. Goodson.