GenAir Supports The Use of HVO Fuel

HVO fuel could have an important role to play in the reduction of carbon emissions across a number of sectors and industries and at GenAir we have confirmed the compatibility of our diesel compressors with HVO and we can supply HVO fuel on request.  

What Is HVO And Why Do We Support It?

HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) is a renewable drop in diesel replacement with a cradle to grave net reduction of carbon emissions of 90% over traditional mineral diesel and with a higher cetane rating it has a cleaner burn reducing particulate pollution compared to mineral diesel.

What sets HVO apart from other bio diesels is the method used to make it. Previous bio diesels used ethanol as the catalyst in the production process whereas HVO uses hydrogen. The significance of this is that the HVO process removes oxygen from the fuel which greatly increases its shelf life – up to 10 years compared to around 1 year for mineral diesel – and it is FAME free meaning that it does not degrade rubber or plastic components or absorb water as bio fuels produced with ethanol do. It’s a genuine drop in replacement for mineral diesel without the need for modifying equipment.

Seen in the context of the government’s plans for Net Zero carbon emissions HVO is a ready to go green alternative to diesel which makes the decision not to exclude it from the fuel duty changes next year appear to be a missed opportunity. By retaining a “red” HVO fuel the government could effectively reduce demand for mineral diesel drastically for industrial, construction and civil engineering applications. Pressure is mounting on the government to amend this decision but it is unclear if any progress is being made.

Even without government support for HVO through fuel duty rebates we expect HVO uptake to increase as we all try to reduce our carbon emissions.