23 June 2004

NORFOLK CONSORTIUM LAUNCHES BIODIESEL EFFICIENCY TRIALS

Attleborough-based chicken processor Banham Poultry is collaborating with researchers at the University of East Anglia’s Carbon Reduction Project (CRed) and technical experts at Shipdham-based biodiesel manufacturers Global Commodities (UK) Ltd to run one of the most comprehensive trials of biodiesel fuel efficiency yet conducted in the UK.

Biodiesel can be blended with mineral diesel to provide important savings in carbon dioxide emissions. Global Commodities currently manufacture driveECO biodiesel from used cooking oil, so converting a waste product to a valuable fuel.

The trials will be conducted over a four month period beginning in June, and have been designed to evaluate the fuel efficiency of using biodiesel at varying inclusion rates from 5% up to 50%. Four 38 tonne articulated vehicles from Banham Poultry’s distribution fleet will be involved, with each vehicle covering distances of up to 3,000 miles per week.

Commenting on the launch of the trials, Banham Poultry director Robin Goram said:
‘Energy saving is a key objective in all aspects of our business. We seek to innovate wherever we can to reduce costs and benefit the environment. Biodiesel offers clear environmental advantages as a renewable fuel by reducing carbon emissions. It may also offer economic advantages in terms of fuel efficiency.

‘Banham Poultry have already piloted the use of biodiesel in our transport fleet, with very encouraging results. Now we want to evaluate the fuel economy more closely and to do this we need to monitor vehicle performance in considerable detail. The CRed team will help us interpret the data. Fuel efficiency can be influenced by a range of different factors, from driving style and traffic conditions to journey speed and load carried. We know from data collected using mineral diesel that fuel economy can vary by up to 40% even between similar vehicles.

‘In consultation with the team at CRed and Global Commodities, we have developed protocols for a programme of trials which we hope will iron out these potential variations and produce valuable data on the comparative fuel efficiency of mineral diesel and biodiesel, and the optimum blend between the two.’

Commenting on behalf of CRed, Dr Bruce Tofield said:
‘Reducing global carbon emissions is one of the major challenges we face, and emissions from transport are a particular problem. Biofuels can help reduce carbon emissions from road transport and biodiesel may be especially useful for large vehicles such as trucks and buses that are almost entirely diesel powered. Global Commodities set up the country’s first plant dedicated to biodiesel production here in Norfolk and we are very pleased that Banham Poultry are now taking the lead to gain a better understanding of the fuel economy benefits that biodiesel can offer.

For Global Commodities, Technical Manager Mike Gay said:
‘Norfolk is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in renewable energy. Many exciting new developments in alternative energy are taking place throughout the region, and we are delighted to be involved in this programme of trials. We congratulate Banham Poultry on their foresight in taking this project forward, and on their commitment to improving the environmental performance of their business.’