Breakthroughs have been made in the race to make alternative, environment-friendly fuels. Two research projects have been successful in finding new ways to make biofuels more efficient and available to many. HVO biofuels have long been eyed as the primary source of organic fuel. HVO fuel is sourced from sustainable materials and produces significantly lower carbon emissions, making it one of the best choices for companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
HVO for Home Heating
Grant Engineering has achieved a new level in research that further reduces carbon emissions in rural and challenging areas. They are also able to do this with minimal disruption to the locale and with reduced costs.
The research team has been looking for new ways to have more sustainable and carbon-saving fuels. They have invested time and over €250,000 in testing low carbon fuels in boilers. They are looking to see which one is the most efficient in using biofuels.
Trials included working with third level institutions, renewable fuel producers, and industry partners. They used biofuels in their own boilers. The breakthrough came when the field trials showed that those boilers were able to use 100% HVO (hydrotreated Vegetable Oil).
HVO used rapeseed oil, soybean oil, certified sustainable palm oil, sunflower oil, non-food oils, and waste and residue oil. It is more efficient because producing it, as well as sourcing the materials required to do so, is more sustainable than other proposed alternative fuels.
HVO biofuels are already in use in marine and public transport. It is also available in the UK, and patronage has been steadily growing in the past few years.
Using 100% HVO results in the reduction of carbon emissions up to 90% compared to fossil diesel. It can also be used as a percentage blend with diesel, and even traditional fuel like kerosene. For rural areas, HVO fuel can help households transition to a renewable and green alternative, even if they previously used 100% fossil fuels.
Household transitions will also be more affordable because there will be minimal disruption to their homes. Older buildings may have difficulty transitioning to alternative fuels because retrofitting a new heating system can be challenging there. Replacing heat pumps can also become expensive because of the many other factors that need to be considered.
But as biofuels are compatible with Grant’s boilers or need only a minor modification to change from kerosene to 100% HVO, it poses an exciting development in building heating. The change they would make is to adapt the size of the fuel injector nozzle and modify the fuel pump pressure and blast tube. What’s more, these changes can be completed during regularly scheduled maintenance.
According to Grant’s UK Managing Director, Paul Wakefield, using HVO is incredibly exciting because it is a new solution to low-carbon heating for homeowners and can be easily adopted.
Existing off-gas residential homes that currently use the oil can decarbonise their heating without making significant changes to their homes. They can now upgrade their old and inefficient boilers to more modern and environmentally friendly heaters.
Wakefield said that replacing old boilers with new ones will reduce a home’s emissions and would be ready to use HVO when the supplies become more readily available. Grant UK is working towards a more renewable heating system for various properties in order to achieve a greener and sustainable future for households.
HVO in Construction Vehicles
With the construction of the HS2, a high-speed railway network in the UK, reports shows that in the trial to test the potential air-quality benefits of alternative fuels for plant vehicles, HVO showed significant results.
The trial, held in April 2021, is part of the innovation programme that was carried out with the Imperial College London and Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) at one HS2 construction site in Coventry. They measured the emissions of two 20-ton excavators, a Liebherr R920 compact excavator (Stage IIIB) and a Komatsu PC210 excavator (Stage IV).
They used standard red diesel (EN590) as the baseline to compare the emissions of the alternative fuel additives. They combined red diesel with an F18 fuel additive with the addition of either HVO or Enhanced HVO.
The machines used during the trial were installed with exhaust gas after-treatment technology. This feature reduces the nitrogen dioxide and particle emissions of the engine. The study also recognises that older machines without this feature have a greater potential of reducing emissions by using alternative fuels.
The innovation programme of the HS2 supports the transition from diesel to zero emissions by creating and developing alternative technologies. According to Neil Wait, the head of environmental sciences for HS2, the on-site trials give a real-world testing scenario where data can be gathered for future research in finding solutions.
The results from the testing show that HVO and alternative fuels are part of the construction industry’s long-term solution for sustainability. The potential CO2 savings can be achieved through the sustainable sourcing and raw materials used in the fuels.
Wait said that they are continuously working with their supply chain as well as research organisations to develop new and long-term sustainable alternatives that can help change the way the construction industry operates. They are also looking forward to supporting the move to zero-carbon in the future. They support full electronic transition and the use of solar and wind power, retrofitting older machines, hydrogen technologies, and using rail to increase the delivery of materials to different places.
Researchers recommend that those who use biofuels should align with Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), a group that regulates biofuel that is used for transport and non-road mobile machines and vehicles. They also said that biofuel providers should register with recognised assurance schemes like the Zemo Partnership Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme.
HVO Fuel Supplier You Can Trust
If you want to transition to a renewable fuel for your company, then you will need a reliable supplier to consistently top up your equipment. You also need to be sure of the quality of the fuel they provide.
When looking for a company to supply HVO fuel, HVO Fuel UK is a name you can trust. We supply 100% renewable, sustainable, and waste-derived raw materials. No crops were grown directly to produce our fuel. Thus, our fuel meets the highest international standards in social responsibility, environmental care, and traceability.
To get started, call us today.
