The challenge around corporate climate responsibility is toughest at the transport link in the supply chain. For many organisations around the world, diesel trucks are still the most economical and practical way to transport goods, despite the rising costs of fuel.
Renewable diesel may be the workable solution. Trucking companies in the United States are already embracing renewable diesel for cleaner operations.
Renewable diesel reduces carbon intensity on average by 65% when compared with petroleum diesel, according to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Certified Carbon Intensities. Renewable diesel also helps to reduce maintenance costs, according to suppliers, distributors and fleet users in the USA, with reported savings of up to two cents per mile.
While vehicle manufacturers are offering EV trucks, there are question marks about the net sustainability of mining rare earths for battery production, the carbon emissions for energy production, the viability of charging stations, and the high purchase price.
The viability of renewable diesel has led to a growth in the number of renewable diesel plants in the USA over the last two years, including a major project to convert Marathon’s petroleum refinery in Martinez, California, to renewable diesel production.
Renewable diesel is created using a hydrogenation process, (not an esterification process) so, unlike biodiesel, it can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. This cuts down on carbon created from the production process enormously. And it’s synthesised in such a way that is does not need to be blended with petroleum diesel, reducing carbon emissions from use.
Because of the sustainable production method and lower tailpipe emissions, some estimates put total greenhouse gas emissions from renewable diesel at 80% less per unit of energy than petroleum diesel.
Hydrobe’s process results in feedstock perfect for the production of renewable diesel. The Hydrobe® process takes emissions from heavy industry flue gases and recycles the carbon using microbiology at scale, reducing the emitter’s carbon output and generating byproducts including fatty lipids for use in fuel production and other by-products.
Hydrobe’s lipid outputs are suited to the HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) method of production, an efficient, proven conversion pathway for both renewable diesel and sustainable airline fuel.
If your business is interested in the renewable diesel revolution, either as an end user or as a link in the production process, please contact to Hydrobe® to see how we can help.