A TEES Valley engineering firm has warned that engines run solely on bio-fuel are a long way off.

Mar 18 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette

Steven Nendick, communications director for engine manufacturing firm Cummins’ Darlington plant, believes the industry has made great strides to improve its environmental performance over recent years but an increase in the use of bio-fuel needs to be balanced by rigorous testing to ensure the products are safe for use.

He says: “Most of our engines are approved to run on 20% biofuel. The challenge for the engineering industry is to ensure bio-fuel meets the same safety standards as diesel.

“For example, under certain circumstances, bio-fuel can have a corrosive effect on the engine metal. Testing is under way to overcome this and find ways in which the proportion of bio-fuel used can be increased without compromising the safety of the product.”

The firm’s Darlington plant supplies engines to over 200 customers in the automotive, industrial, marine, power generation, mining and construction sectors in 40 countries. Its Darlington Worldwide Technical Centre specialises in engine design and development and has scooped the Queen’s Award for Export on three occasions.

Engineering firms have been under pressure to find alternative fuel sources such as biofuel to comply with increasingly stringent EU ceilings on emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter (PM). By next year, engines will be required to emit less than two grammes per kilowatt per hour.

But Steven believes the call for more bio-fuel use, while welcomed, should not overlook the industry’s recent efforts to clean up its act.

He says: “Studies by Cummins have revealed significant changes in engine technologies have resulted in a 95% reduction in engine emissions from buses and trucks since the early 1990s. Bio-fuels can contribute towards a healthier environment but more work needs to be done.”