UK: DB Cargo UK has successfully tested the use of 100% renewable hydrotreated vegetable oil to fuel a Class 67 diesel locomotive, and on-track trials are to follow with Class 67 and Class 66 locomotives, as well as testing with a Class 60.
The testing, which Chief Executive Andrea Rossi described as ‘extremely promising’, was undertaken at the operator’s load bank facility at Toton depot. Monitoring showed no adverse impact on the performance of the 3 200 hp locomotive.
HVO is made through the hydro-treatment of vegetable oils or animal fats, and is intended to reduce CO2 and NOx emissions significantly when used in diesel vehicles and machinery.
DB Cargo UK currently operates 228 diesel and electric locomotives. It transports 37 million tonnes of freight a year using 45 million litres of ‘red’ diesel, which is subject to lower taxes than the diesel fuel used by road vehicles. Rossi said the company has ‘a responsibility to our customers and to society in general to continuously look for more sustainable ways of operating and minimise our impact on the environment’.
‘We are very pleased with the initial performance of the HVO fuel, which we could use instead of or alongside traditional red diesel’, said the operator’s Head of Asset Management & Maintenance Steve Wilkinson on December 9. ‘The fact it is compatible with our existing diesel means investment in new storage and fuelling facilities would also be kept to a minimum. On top of that, it performs well at low temperatures, has a longer lifespan and is biodegradable.’
Rossi said the government has set the rail industry ‘an incredibly stretching target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Only through the greater electrification of the UK rail network and innovation like this will we meet this challenge.’
