Q&A: Biofuels in Heavy Equipment Industries

(Chevron) Heavy equipment industries such as rail, marine and mining continue to take steps to lower their lifecycle carbon emissions. Dave Slade, principal biofuels scientist at Chevron, answered frequently asked questions about the role biofuels can play in lowering carbon emissions, among other benefits.

Q: Why should heavy equipment industries consider integrating lower carbon intensity fuels into their fuel portfolio?

Dave: Heavy equipment industries such as rail, marine and mining use large volumes of diesel fuel. Because of the quantities of fuel consumed, incorporating biofuels into their fuel portfolio can have an effect on the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of the operation. In many cases, reducing the use of conventional diesel fuel is one of the only ways to notably reduce carbon intensity of their operations.

We often hear that customers of transportation companies have their own emission reduction goals, and they are looking to their shippers or suppliers for help. Incorporating biofuels early may help give heavy freight companies a leg up over competitors when customers are looking for transportation with lower lifecycle carbon intensity.

Q: Do biodiesel or renewable diesel require equipment upgrades?

Dave: No, biodiesel and renewable diesel typically do not require engine upgrades. One advantage of biofuels is the ability to lower lifecycle carbon emissions compared to traditional diesel without changing any equipment, in some cases. It’s one thing to replace a passenger car, but it’s a completely different financial commitment to replace or modify a railroad locomotive, mining truck or marine vessel. These industries buy equipment to use for decades, not years. Integrating biofuels can help companies make progress towards lowering their lifecycle carbon emissions, usually without expensive equipment investments.

Q: If a company wanted to lower their lifecycle carbon emissions, why wouldn’t they switch to electric vehicles?

Dave: The first thing to consider here is, again, price. Electrification is a good option in some cases, but it takes a massive investment. It’s often impractical for companies to replace heavy equipment before it’s met the end of its useful life.

Beyond price, an important consideration is the weight of electric batteries increasing the overall weight of your equipment, which are already extremely heavy. These industries want to haul as much freight as possible. Electric batteries weigh the same whether they are charged or uncharged. So, companies using electric systems have to take more trips to haul the same amount of freight compared with those using liquid fuels. If you think this sounds like it could increase transportation prices, you’re right.

Integrating biofuels allows you to haul the same amount of freight in approximately the same number of trips, and biofuels are a lower carbon intensity energy source. Customers can make progress toward their carbon emission reduction goals without the operational challenges of switching to a completely different energy type.

Q: Are there other advantages to using biofuels?

Dave: Biofuels can produce less particulate matter emissions than petroleum diesel. When I started in the biofuels industry 18 years ago, the mining industry had just started using biofuels to meet underground particulate matter emissions limits that the Mining Safety and Health Administration had put in place to improve working conditions for workers in underground mines.

Instead of requiring workers to wear respirators or install expensive ventilation systems, companies switched to biofuels, which helped improve the air quality of their underground mines. Other industries may experience similar advantages when implementing biofuels. READ MORE