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BIODIESEL
Energy-Rich Diet
500,000 litres of oil and fat per year... That's
what it takes for the 55 Biobuses of the Société de transport
de Montréal (STM) to cruise the streets of downtown Montréal.
"Green" before its time
In 1899, at the Universal Exposition in Paris, Rudolf
Diesel's new internal combustion engine was a real hit.
And no wonder: it ran on peanut oil! Surprisingly
enough, it wasn't until the 1920s that fossil fuels replaced
biofuels in diesel engines.
Today, environmental concerns are bringing biofuels
back into fashion. The diesel engines in Montréal's Biobuses
run on a tasty cocktail of inedible vegetable oils, used
cooking oils and animal fats.
A cure for the cold
The ingenious recipe for biodiesel recycles leftovers
from the agrifood industry.
The buses reacted very well to this change in diet. In
fact, biofuel has even reduced engine wear and extended
their useful life! Unfortunately, Montréal's buses can't
run on pure biodiesel-it solidifies at between
-3°C and 12°C, making it rather impractical for our winters.
The solution is to combine biodiesel with petroleum
diesel. One of the commonly used mixtures, B20, contains
20% pure biodiesel.
A definite success
The STM's 155 biobuses running on biodiesel have reduced
their CO2 emissions by 1,300 tonnes. It's as if
there were 260 fewer cars travelling 20,000 km a year.
Imagine: if the STM's 1,600 buses used B20, it would be
like taking 4,400 cars off the road!
The high price of this 100% biodegradable fuel is a disincentive,
however, and steps will have to be taken to make it more
affordable.
Thanks!
The biodiesel samples and the raw material are on loan
from Groupe Sine Nomine and Rothsay-Laurenco.
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