A three-year trial has revealed that renewable diesel could significantly reduce emissions and have a direct impact on urban air quality.
Organised by Neste Oil, Proventia and Helsinki Region Transport, the data collected from the trial showed that particulate emissions were reduced by 30 per cent while nitrogen oxides were cut by 10 per cent.
Initially during the trial, buses used a 30 per cent NExBTL renewable diesel blend with 70 per cent standard diesel fuel. Then from 2008, some ran on 100 per cent NExBTL. Those that ran exclusively on NExBTL achieved the largest reductions in emissions. According to estimates, if all the buses in the Greater Helsinki ran on 100 per cent renewable diesel the reduction in emissions would be the equivalent of taking a third of buses in the region off the road.
According to Neste Oil, the NExBTL renewable diesel that is currently available from raw materials offers a more than 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to fossil diesel. The fuel is made from hydro-treating vegetable oil and waste fat from food manufacturers.
To date, this is the world’s largest renewable diesel field trial.
