Biodiesel Resources / Overview
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils. It is not an experimental fuel -- it has been proven in diesel engines over millions of road miles in many countries for decades, and has been approved for use by diesel engine manufacturers.
Biodiesel demonstrates significant benefits to the environment and to public health. Biodiesel cuts exhaust emissions, minimizing black smoke, odour, and greenhouse gas emissions, air toxics, and particulates, and does not contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions (acid rain).
Biodiesel can be used with your current fueling infrastructure and in all modern diesel vehicles with no engine modifications necessary. Biodiesel's high Cetane number, high flash point, and increased lubricity mean excellent engine performance, safety, with no impact on fuel economy. For this reason, it is easy to phase in and out, so you can maintain flexibility in technology deployment. And now that biodiesel-petroleum blends (B5) are reaching par with petroleum, biodiesel is rapidly becoming a mainstream alternative fuel in Canada.
- Commercial Road Fleets
- Transit & School District Fleets
- Municipal & Government Fleets
- Heavy Machinery/Off Road Machinery
- Personal Cars and Light Trucks
- Marine
- Lubricity Additive
Commercial Road Fleets
Biodiesel has been proven to perform similarly to diesel in virtually all types of diesel engines. More than 500 major fleets in the US use biodiesel blends along with a rapidly growing number of Canadian fleets. Its use in France, Germany, Austria and other European countries is even more widespread (over 3.5 billion litres were consumed in the EU 2006.)
Transit and School District Bus Fleets
Federal agencies have classified diesel exhaust as a probable human carcinogen. Components of diesel exhaust are genotoxic, mutagenic, and can produce symptoms of allergy, including inflammation and irritation of airways. There is no known safe level of exposure to diesel exhaust for children, especially those with respiratory illness.
Full report: Children's Exposure To Diesel Exhaust On School Buses
Municipal & Government Fleets
By 2004, more than 500 major fleets in the US alone were using B20, including the U.S. Postal Service, numerous state DOT's, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, San Francisco International Airport, and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA). Today, municipal and government fleets across British Columbia and Alberta are now using biodiesel, including the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, City of Burnaby, City of Richmond, Corporation of Delta, West Vancouver, Town of Canmore, and the City of Calgary, among others. Biodiesel can be integrated seamlessly into existing fueling infrastructures with very little cost, and little training for employees.
Heavy Machinery/Off Road Machinery
Biodiesel is suitable for use in heavy-duty off-road machinery. It is particularly well suited for use in urban areas. Heavy-duty diesel exhaust is often visibly opaque, or black; biodiesel improves opacity greatly. As an example, TSI Terminal Systems Inc. was the first container port in Canada to use biodiesel and they currently run on B20 at two of their port locations in the Port of Vancouver.
Personal Cars and Light Trucks
In Europe, over 40% of personal vehicles are diesels and biodiesel is widely available and used to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to support the agricultural sector. Fueling stations in the US are becoming more common in order to support personal autos and light duty vehicles as well. Contact us for information on fueling stations in Canada.
Marine
The risk associated with fuel spills and the resulting liability has been an incentive for the use of biodiesel in commercial and government vessels (Coast Guard, National Parks). Biodiesel is non-toxic and readily biodegradable and biodiesel blends of B20 have shown to increase the biodegradability of the entire blend by four times.
Lubricity Additive
Environment Canada mandated a 97% reduction in the sulphur content of truck diesel fuel from 500 parts per million to 15 parts per million in the summer of 2006. Testing in Canada and elsewhere has confirmed that biodiesel can provide sufficient levels of fuel lubricity, even at blend levels below 1%.
