A NEW FUTURE FOR PARAFFINIC FUELS?
Energy transition, sustainability, renewable sources are the keywords of the future in terms of energy, efficiency and pollution,
and road transport – from heavy goods vehicles to commercial vehicles and cars – must adapt to the transition. Today, the key issue – especially in the transport sector – is the avoidance of conventional diesel in favour of more environment-friendly and sustainable solutions to achieve the objective of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 1999.
The recent edition of Solutrans 2021 (in November, France) was a chance to take stock. The many manufacturers of logistic and handling equipment present at the event made it clear that the future prospects of the sector pivot also on bio-fuels.
BIODIESEL: FAME AND HVO… LET'S SHED SOME LIGHT
Two types of bio-diesel are available on the market, namely paraffinic bio-diesel and FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) bio-diesel.
We will focus on the former in this article.
Paraffinic diesel fuels obtained by synthesis or hydrotreatment are defined in EN 15940.
This European standard was first introduced in 2016. It was more recently updated in 2019 and this is the revision currently in force.
The standard specifies the requirements of fuel be to be defined as paraffinic in technical terms. Specifically, it must be free of sulphur and aromatic compounds and its paraffinic nature is "proven" by limiting the content of the aromatic component to 1%.
In terms of definitions:
• XTL: generically describes a liquid fuel obtained from natural gas (GTL), biomass (BTL) or coal (CTL)
• HVO: is a liquid fuel obtained from the hydrogenation process of vegetable oils. The vegetable oils are converted into hydrocarbons through a reaction with hydrogen and can be added to diesel in any percentage or even replace it altogether. Furthermore, as oxygen is removed from the oils in the transformation process, the resulting fluid is particularly resistant to oxidation and can stand in the tank for longer without causing problems.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF HVO?
According to a recent IEA (International Energy Agency) study on HVO:
“An average production of 16.5 billion litres is expected across the EU in the 2023-25 period. The use of HVO has greatly expanded due to its advantageous technical characteristics, with the prospect of doubling capacity in 2022.”
In the review, the Agency also adds that US policies are behind 85% of this global capacity building. Outside the US, new projects will expand capacity by 12% from 2020 to 2022 in Europe and by 32% in the Asia-Pacific region. At full capacity, HVO plants account for 11% of the global biofuel production expected in 2022, more than doubling the 2019 HVO share.
HVO AND PIUSI
In terms of production, the challenge today is not only to produce bio-fuels but also to provide equipment that can chemically and mechanically withstand these fluids and can guarantee safe and correct dispensing, measuring, control and management operations.
It is a challenge that the market leaders cannot fail to meet.
In short, PIUSI can state without any doubt that the entire range currently in the catalogue for transferring, measuring and managing diesel and fuels is 100% compatible with HVO&XTL according to EN15940:2019.
IEA: https://www.iea.org
