How do energy and emissions of canola biodiesel compare to petroleum diesel?
Engines that currently run on petroleum diesel – heavy equipment, long haul trucks, farm machinery, municipal fleets, generators – require no modification to run on biodiesel. However, they would produce considerably fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using biodiesel compared to petroleum diesel. The Canadian government has committed to addressing climate change by reducing GHG emissions. It has announced that it will require a minimum of 2% renewable diesel (biodiesel) use by 2012. That equals 600 million litres of biodiesel use that will reduce GHG emissions by 3 kilograms per litre, or 1.8 million tonnes. That’s the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road. A 5% inclusion rate would be the equivalent of removing 750,000 cars. Canola biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 85%. And growing canola sequesters carbon in the soil and reduced tillage practices that are commonly used in canola production also mean less carbon is released.
