ST to use biofuel in Malta
ST Malta, which is the largest exporter and one of the largest employers in the country, is now using biodiesel “B100” to power its fork-lift trucks, road vehicles and the boilers which heat its facility. B100 is produced entirely from recycled edible oil used in catering processes and contains no petroleum products. With a start-up cost of less than $1000, the biodiesel program is expected to save approximately $3200 in fuel costs per year, thanks to lower consumption and fuel prices. The real saving, however, comes from a dramatic cut in emissions of harmful gases and particulates that are emitted with normal petrodiesel use.
ST has set high environmental goals alongside its more conventional business ambitions. As long ago as 1995, ST defined and published its Environmental Decalogue, a ten-point roadmap of timed and quantifiable targets leading towards the ultimate goal of becoming environmentally neutral. The roadmap defines specific objectives for reducing consumption of energy, water and chemicals, and for reducing and limiting greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
A study by the US Environment Protection Agency found that B100 (100% biodiesel) reduced total unburned hydrocarbons by more than 65%, carbon monoxide up to 48%, and total particulate matter up to 47%. Other research also shows that the ozone forming potential of the hydrocarbon emissions from pure biodiesel is nearly 50% less than that of petroleum-based fuel. Pure biodiesel contains no sulphur and therefore reduces sulphur dioxide exhausted from diesel engines that use it to virtually zero. PAH and nPAH compounds (identified as carcinogenic) are also reduced drastically by 80% and 90%, respectively.
Biodiesel fuel can also help to meet goals for the net reduction of atmospheric carbon. As a renewable fuel derived from organic materials, the use of biodiesel reduces the net amount of CO2 in the biosphere. The US Department of Energy found that biodiesel production and use generate 78.5% less CO2 emissions than petroleum diesel. In appropriate geographical areas, carbon dioxide is ‘taken up’ by the annual production of crops such as soybeans and then released when vegetable-oil-based biodiesel is burned.
