Komatsu machines manufactured in Europe will leave the factory fueled up with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable diesel product.
The new factory-fill choice will be implemented in April at the Komatsu Germany GmbH plant in Hannover, Germany, and at the Komatsu UK plant in Birtley, England. Other Europe plants will follow, according to Komatsu Europe International N.V.
HVO is produced from renewable raw material such as cooking oil and animal fats wastes. It is a drop-in replacement for fossil diesel, but with high cetane, no oxygen, and no aromatics. The fuel is being supplied to Komatsu by Neste.
Use of Neste MY Renewable Diesel, says Komatsu, can lower the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by Komatsu machines by up to 90 percent.
“Komatsu’s HVO first fill product (Neste MY Renewable Diesel) is mainly made of waste material limiting consumption renewable resources such as vegetable oils,” said Ingo Büscher, managing director of Komatsu Germany, in a statement. “We believe that HVO is an effective and economical option to both reduce emissions and save limited resources.”
Source: Komatsu Ltd.
