Clariant, Scania cut CO2 emissions 90% via sunliquid cellulosic ethanol
In Brazil, Clariant reports that its partnership with Scania for the ethanol-powered trucks used at the Clariant Suzano plant has reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 90%. The ethanol fuel used is manufactured with the Master Batch ED 95 additive produced by Clariant in Brazil.
The ethanol fuel used by the Scania trucks contains the Master Batch ED 95 additive produced by Clariant Brazil. The fact that it’s produced locally was essential to the viability of the project as this optimizes costs and logistics. The additive allows engines designed to run on diesel to run on hydrous ethanol because it adjusts the characteristics of the fuel to the engines’ requirements in order to make the vehicle run well.
As the second phase of this project, Clariant started using second-generation ethanol as part of the fuel to operate the Ecotrucks. This ethanol is manufactured from sugar cane bagasse using the innovative sunliquid technology. “Add value with sustainability is one of Clariant’s strategic pillars. The company’s initiative with the Ecotruck project supports its environmental goals and reinforces our approach to sustainability, including verifying the positive results of the solutions we provide to the biofuel market, especially the innovative sunliquid technology,” states Paulo Itapura, Head of Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs for Clariant Latin America.
In mid-2015, Clariant acquired three Scania P 270 model 4×2 trucks, which run on ethanol and are the first of their kind to be sold by Scania in Latin America. The Ecotrucks, as they are called, transport ISO tanks with a 25,000-liter (6,604 gallon) capacity for chemical products to the fleet of highway trucks, which then deliver the products to Clariant’s customers. The three Scania P 270 tractor units work 24/7 in four shifts. They are used to transport chemical products at Clariant’s plant in Suzano, in the state of São Paulo, which is the company’s largest industrial complex in Latin America. The trucks were purchased from the Scania Codema dealership in São Paulo. After nearly a year of using the Ecotrucks, Clariant can verify a reduction in CO2 emissions by approximately 90% compared to the diesel engines that were used before.
Reaction from the stakeholders
“Clariant is making history in Latin America with this innovative project that demonstrates the value of using ethanol trucks for daily operations. Clariant’s example is drawing interest from other companies that have already contacted Scania about this solution,” says Celso Mendonça, Business Development Manager for Scania Brazil. “Scania values sustainability, so it believes in having an energy matrix that is mixed, uses different sources and allows for fuel savings and a reduction in CO2 emissions. Ethanol-fueled trucks are a solution for companies committed to reducing the environmental impacts of their transportation operations. It is a 100% viable option.”
“Today in Brazil, we are demonstrating the commercial use of the cellulosic ethanol fuel, using one of the least CO2-producing vehicles available: the Scania trucks,” comments Martin Mitchell, Business Development Manager for the Americas. “We conducted several tests to validate the technical and economic viability of the sunliquid technology, which is already commercially available in Brazil. We verified, once again, that producing the enzymes at the plant itself, in a manner integrated with the overall process and specific to sugar cane bagasse, represents the best competitive cost,” he states.
Category: Fuels
