H Wragg Biofuel Lorry
The Biggest Immediate Impact
The cost of running a typical 44 tonne articulated lorry rose by 8.9% after diesel costs are included, in the 12 months to September 30 2008, according to the Road Haulage Association's annual Cost Movement Survey. Therefore the judges were especially impressed with this lorry cornversion which makes big savings in terms of money and CO2.
This is the UK's first lorry to be converted to run on pure plant oil. Harry Wragg's transport fleet (http://www.harrywragg.co.uk) now operates sixteen of these vehicles and Marks & Spencers is undertaking a six-month trial. The crucial question is where the vegoil is sourced - fish & chip shops are out of the question for a vehicle of this size so Harry Wragg stores his fuel in a giant tank on site. Biofuel is considered green because it is made from a renewable resource which soaks up CO2 from our atmosphere, thereby offseting the CO2 from the exhaust. Unfortunately, this cycle is not yet virtuous.
Biofuel or Agrofuel
First-generation biofuels currently being used are produced solely from parts of plants containing oil, sugar or starch: e.g. biodiesel from rapeseed oil and bioethanol from starch or sugar. In Indonesia, the conversion of tropical forest to commercial palm tree plantations to produce biofuels for export is a major cause of deforestation. Thankfully, the likes of BP and Linde are currently developing second-generation biofuels which don't use those parts of the plant containing starch or oil - only those parts of the plant that contain cellulose. More fuel is produced using this method, due to higher energy yields. These second-generation biofuels do not compete with the production of food or animal feed, as those parts of the plant that contain starch, such as the maize grains, can continue to be used in food production. Second-generation biofuels are also more climate-friendly than fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, since the plant extracts exactly the same amount of the climate gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when it is growing as it later discharges into the atmosphere as a result of engine combustion.
