Vehicles operating at Edinburgh Airport are now being powered by vegetable oil as the airport continues to look at ways of reducing its emissions.
Thirty-four vehicles have made the change from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable diesel alternative that eliminates up to 90% of net carbon dioxide emissions while offering significant savings on nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions. HVO is a ‘drop-in’ fuel replacement for vehicles that have previously been diesel powered.
There are plans for at least another 30 vehicles to make the switch to HVO in the coming months, and the airport has installed an HVO fuel pump on campus. The pump is being used by airport vehicles and those operated by third parties and contractors, supporting campus partners with their decarbonisation programmes.
Gordon Robertson, director of communications and sustainability at Edinburgh Airport, said: “Introducing the use of vegetable oil in our airside vehicles means we can now actively chip away at our emissions by replacing diesel with a renewable fuel source, driving down our environmental impact as we look to deliver a more sustainable future for the airport.”
