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2002/-- (a)
BACKGROUNDER
BIOBUS PROJECT: BIODIESEL DEMONSTRATION AND IMPACT
ASSESSMENT WITH THE SOCIÉTÉ DE TRANSPORT DE MONTRÉAL
(STM)
Urban transportation and climate change
In Quebec, the transportation sector alone accounts for nearly 40% of
total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The different levels of government
are firmly resolved to reduce GHG emissions. This resolve is borne out
by Canadian and Quebec action plans to fight against climate change, in
accordance with the Kyoto Protocol.
A city bus can carry as many passengers as 50 cars… and pollutes
up to 18 times less! Mass transit will therefore play a growing role in
the fight against climate change. By running on biodiesel, buses can help
reduce GHGs and polluting emissions even more, without impairing bus performance
or reducing their energy efficiency.
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a methyl diester product made by a chemical reaction between
methanol and either vegetable oils (e.g. substandard vegetable oil or
recycled cooking oil) or animal fats. As early as 1895, Rudolf Diesel
conducted experiments on his first "diesel-cycle" engine by
fuelling it with peanut oil products.
The use of biodiesel is gaining popularity in Europe, especially in Germany
and France. Although biodiesel is not yet in widespread use in North America,
more and more jurisdictions are planning to use it in motor vehicle diesel
fuels.
Biodiesel demonstration and impact assessment project
From both a technical and economic standpoint, biodiesel is one of the
most practical solutions to reducing the amount of conventional diesel
used to operate an urban bus fleet. The biodiesel-fuelled BIOBUS
project is designed to:
- demonstrate the feasibility of supplying a mass transit company -
the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) - with
biodiesel for a one-year period and of using the fuel under actual operating
conditions, particularly in a cold climate; and
- assess the technical, economic and environmental impacts of this option
on urban transportation.
The project will be implemented as follows:
- STM buses will be supplied with biodiesel from March 2002 to March
2003.
- A final report on the project will follow in spring 2003.
- The STM demonstration project will consume an estimated 500,000 litres
of biodiesel in two blends, B5 and B20, which have a mix of 5% and 20%
respectively of biodiesel to conventional diesel.
The project implemented with the STM has three distinctive features:
- Biodiesel projects in other countries are being carried out in warmer
climates, whereas the STM BIOBUS project will
provide a baseline for biodiesel use in a cold climate.
- The vast majority of biodiesel used in other countries is produce
from vegetable oil (soybean, canola) grown as a cash crop, whereas the
biodiesel in this project comes from agro-industry waste (10% non-food-grade
vegetable oil, 45% recycled cooking oil and 45% animal fat).
- The scale of this project is the largest undertaken in North America
in the field of urban mass transit. It plans to supply a fleet of 155
buses serving Montréal's downtown.
Project partners
The project has a total value of $1,306,200 and is made possible thanks
to the support of various partners.
In order to support this major demonstration project of a technology
for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the government of Canada
set up a partnership including Natural Resources Canada, Canada Economic
Development (CED). Environment Canada and the Climate Change Action Fund
(CCAF). This partnership is part of the Canadian government's strategy
to promote concrete projects that could bring about a significant reduction
in GHG emissions. The project will help assess the environmental, economic
and social advantages of introducing biodiesel in Canada and will promote
the potential marketing of this product as a fuel from renewable resources.
Indeed, one aim of the project is to determine the best conditions for
introducing a meaningful level of use of this biofuel among transportation
companies in Canada and possibly extending its use to a broader range
of diesel-fuelled vehicles.
Funding from the government of Canada totals $515,000. It comes from
the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) component of the Climate Change
Action Fund (CCAF) and from Canada Economic Development (CED).
The BIOBUS project is a perfect fit for the kind of innovation pledged
by the Government of Quebec in its 2000-2002 climate change action plan.
The major lines of the plan include reducing vehicle emissions, supporting
research, and developing and demonstrating technology to combat GHG emissions.
By analyzing the environmental, technical and economic impact of using
biodiesel, the demonstration project will help vehicles move from fossil
fuels to renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the biodiesel is produced
by a Quebec company from animal and vegetable wastes. This is why the
Quebec government departments responsible for the environment (MENV),
transportation (MTQ), industry and commerce (MIC), municipal affairs (MAMM),
and natural resources (MRN), as well as the Agence de l'efficacité
énergétique (AEÉ) are all partnering in the project.
Funding from the Government of Quebec totals $375,000.
- Société de transport de Montréal
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is a
key partner in the project, as it will provide the infrastructure to test
biodiesel under real-life conditions and will become a technology showcase
for other mass-transit companies across Canada. The STM is proud to cooperate
closely in the biodiesel demonstration and impact assessment project.
STM support testifies to the company's commitment to environmental protection,
not only because the biological material added to the conventional diesel
reduces GHG emissions, but also because the biodiesel reuses waste oil
and non-food-grade animal fats.
STM funding amounts to $368,700.
- Rothsay/Laurenco (Maple Leaf Foods Group)
A subsidiary of the Maple Leaf Foods Group, Rothsay/Laurenco specializes
in recycling agro-industry wastes. This firm will meet the challenge of
supplying straight biodiesel for the project. Not only will it be a challenge
to supply the large quantities of materials, the demonstration project
also requires the assessment of biodiesel from three different sources:
sub-food-grade vegetable oil, recycled oil and animal fats. Rothsay/Laurenco
must therefore adjust its production to meet these requirements on schedule
and even respond to any cold-weather constraints discovered as the project
unfolds. The physicochemical characteristics of the product delivered
will be analysed according to various standards being established for
biodiesel.
Rothsay/Laurenco funding amounts to $37,500.
- Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) and the Fédération
des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec (FPCCQ)
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) is a non-profit organization
mandated to promote renewable fuels (ethanol and biodiesel) through consumer
awareness and communications with government. The FPCCQ, a CRFA member,
represents cash crop producers in Quebec and has the goal of finding markets
for Quebec farm produce. In light of the need for sustainable transportation,
both organizations joined forces to promote the project, which is designed
to demonstrate that it is feasible to supply and use a renewable fuel
less environmentally harmful and made from recycled animal and vegetable
wastes.
Combined funding by the CRFA and the FPCCQ totals $10,000.
Advantages of biodiesel
Sustainable transportation:
Biodiesel is produced from local, renewable resources, either agricultural
products or recycled agro-industry by?products. This project calls for
the use of biodiesel produced from recycled agro-industry waste, specifically
animal fats and vegetable oils (slaughterhouse waste, recycled cooking
oil, non-food-grade virgin oil or agricultural surplus). These products
would otherwise be dumped or discarded into the environment possibly releasing
methane, a greenhouse gas.
Reduction of GHG emissions: Biodiesel helps in three
ways:
- Biodiesel, created from biomass, is a renewable energy source that
replaces a fossil fuel. Therefore, practically no GHGs are emitted during
its production-consumption cycle.
- Biodiesel combusts better in bus engines and reduces certain emissions,
notably organic compounds, whose effect on climate change can be dozens
of times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
- Biodiesel could turn the largely overlooked potential of certain wastes
into valuable by-products, reducing amounts buried in landfill sites
and thus avoiding significant GHG emissions due to methane release.
According to current literature, using B20 reduces GHG emissions, taking
the life cycle of the product into account. Findings from the project
and from an ongoing study on the life cycle of biodiesel will help confirm
these facts.
Reduction of polluting emissions: It is widely recognized
that the use of biodiesel has a positive impact on the composition of
the exhaust from diesel engines. Because biodiesel is composed of 11%
oxygen by mass, even low concentrations make conventional diesel burn
better and may improve the performance of catalytic converters. This notably
reduces CO emissions send will also reduce emissions of fine particulates
and unburned hydrocarbons some of which are known to cause cancer. Biodiesel
also has lubricating properties that makes the use of low-sulphur diesel
more attractive.
The chart on the top compares emissions from B20 to those from conventional
diesel (Source: National Biodiesel Board - U.S.). The BIOBUS
project aims to assess the impacts on a bus fleet operated in Montréal,
but the results could apply across Canada.
Easy implementation:
Unlike other alternative fuels, biodiesel in 5% to 20% blends is very
well suited to the existing infrastructure for the distribution and delivery
of conventional fuel. Moreover, it can be used without changing the diesel
engines of the current bus fleet. The only aspect of the project that
will require close scrutiny and special checks is the use of biodiesel
in cold weather.
Project scope for STM and for mass transit
In order to help ensure air quality in Montréal, the STM is eager
to assess, how the use of biodiesel will impact its operations through
this demonstration project. The STM Frontenac bus terminal has been selected
for the project because it serves the commercial arteries and business
centres of downtown Montréal. Very densely populated areas will
therefore benefit from reduced exhaust emissions. This table shows the
potential reduction in GHG emissions at the Frontenac bus terminal and
for the STM as a whole, had B20 been used in 2001.
2001
Annual statistics |
Centre de transport Frontenac
(155 buses) |
Entire STM bus fleet
(1,600 buses) |
Total distance travelled |
6.7 million km |
70.4 million km |
Number of passenger trips |
34.9 million |
252 million |
Fuel consumption |
3.7 million litres |
38.7 million litres |
Estimated reduction of CO2 (B20) |
1,800 tons |
19,350 tons |
Results from the demonstration project will serve to document and demonstrate
to what extent B20 is a viable and profitable alternative for fuelling
city buses.
Project structure
The project comprises two major levels: the technical and logistical
level, and the communications level.
The technical and logistical level covers the following aspects:
- Quality of supply: To ensure that STM buses have
a reliable high-quality supply of biodiesel, the project calls for both
a fuel procurement and delivery process, as well as a quality-control
program for pure biodiesel and the B5 and B20 blends. Also the physicochemical
characteristics of the product delivered will be analyzed according
to various standards being established for biodiesel. The project itself
will absorb costs associated with the purchase, blending and transportation
of the biodiesel.
- Use and maintenance: To verify that biodiesel is
a viable option and to ensure uninterrupted STM service while assessing
the impact of this fuel on the STM's operating costs, different buses
will undergo cold-chamber tests determine how biodiesel behaves at low
temperatures. Data will also be gathered on bus fleet operation and
monitoring (maintenance costs, statistics on breakdowns and repairs,
kilometres driven per unit of fuel, etc.). This data will make it possible,
among other things, to compare bus maintenance costs before and after
biodiesel is introduced.
- Emission monitoring: Measuring atmospheric emissions
is a key aspect of the project's impact assessment and monitoring activities.
Tests on buses to measure emissions from 15 different biodiesel/petrodiesel
blends will be conducted in spring 2002, an engine test facility at
Environment Canada's Environmental Technology Centre (ETC) in Ottawa
will measure the emissions from 15 different biodiesel/conventional
diesel blends.
The communications component is important not only to successfully implement
the project and ensure buy-in from all stakeholders, but also to enhance
the visibility and credibility of biodiesel as a viable alternative for
more widespread use after the project. This component has two major aspects:
- Internal communications: The internal communications
effort uses a variety of means to reach all STM employees (in-house
newsletter, Intranet, contests, etc.). It is designed to help introduce
change within the transit company by fostering pride among employees
involved in the project. A similar approach will be taken with other
partners implementing the project.
- Customer satisfaction and External communications:
In collaboration with the STM, the biodiesel project plans to measure
the impact of the project on STM customers and on residents of the Montréal
area at large. It will then be possible to assess their degree of interest
in and awareness of the use of alternative fuels and the efforts deployed
at the regional level to combat pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The external communications effort aims to make the public at large
aware of biodiesel's beneficial impact on the environment and to promote
the use of this new fuel among decision-makers. Communications efforts
will include: clearly labelled BIOBUS, information bulletin, partner
Web sites, media events, and participation in conferences and symposia.
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