Alternative fuels
Clean deviations from
diesel
With COP26 all over the news recently, environmental concerns are at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds. Steve Banner looks at one way operators could become more ‘green’
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It’s what is sometimes referred to as a dropin fuel. It’s more stable than ordinary diesel, with a low water content
ransport operators agonising over how best to reduce the impact of their trucks on the environment may be unaware that there is a simple step they can take today that will cut their CO 2 output and reduce harmful tailpipe emissions. It does not involve switching to radically-different and eye-wateringly-expensive technology, or having the ranges of their trucks compromised – or making a massive investment in new refuelling facilities at their depots. All they have to do is stop using conventional diesel immediately and switch to H VO – hydrotreated vegetable oil – instead. Classed as a paraffinic diesel, it is made from rene able aste materials such as vegetable and animal fats and can cut well-to-wheel CO 2 emissions by up to 90 per cent or more, claim its advocates. unning truc s on can reduce a truc s x emissions by up to 29 per cent, contends Green Biofuels CEO , W illiam Tebbit. H is Andover, H antsbased company supplies the fuel under the Green D+ banner. ts use undoubtedly leads to improved air quality, he states. “ Particulates come down by up to 8 5 per cent and here I’m especially thinking about what are no n as superfine particulates. They are not caught by a truc s particulate filter and can pass through your skin and get into your bloodstream. “ Tailpipe CO 2 emissions are do n by five to six per cent too, adds Tebbit.
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How
H VO
to make HVO
can either be used on its own or mixed with
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ordinary diesel in a haulier’s bulk tank – no special storage arrangements are required – or a truck’s running tanks. “ It’s what is sometimes referred to as a drop-in fuel. It’s more stable than ordinary diesel, ith a lo ater content, says hil oon, ar eting anager at D . “ It doesn’t smell, it’s not carcinogenic – and, if it gets into the ground, it biodegrades in 52 days. It burns very cleanly and produces no smoke at all,’ reasons Tebbit. “ Another advantage is that because it produces less NO x, the truck consumes around 20 per cent less d lue. ne leading ba ery company s fleet has covered around million miles on and reported no problems ith it. M oon says things have changed a lot in a short space of time. “ Go back a couple of years and there was certainly a lack of awareness, but a number of operators have no gone over to it completely, he states. “ In other cases they are using it in trucks running out of just one of their depots so they can assess its performance.
N o maj or changes needed
Vehicles that run on it do not require any additional servicing, he says, and filters do not require replacing more frequently. “ If anything you’ll probably be able to extend your service intervals subject to the manufacturer s agreement, adds Tebbit. Changing to H VO has zero impact on a truck’s second-hand value, M oon adds. If you subsequently decide for whatever reason that H VO is no longer for you, then you can easily revert back to fossil diesel.