UPM begins field tests of wood-based diesel in Helsinki region bus traffic

In Finland, UPM will start field tests of its wood-based BioVerno diesel fuel in urban buses together with Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and the VTT Technical Research Centre.

The field tests are also supported by the St1 petrol station chain, the auto manufacturer Volvo, and the transportation company Transdev Finland.

The new round of tests with UPM BioVerno fuel will start in October and run for a minimum of one year.

The BioVerno diesel has previously been studied in several engine and vehicle tests conducted by various research centres as well as in fleet tests with positive results.

The studies have shown the diesel works exactly like the best quality fossil diesel fuels and reduces tail pipe emissions significantly compared to fossil diesel.

The heavy duty vehicle field tests will focus on investigating UPM's renewable diesel in terms of fuel functionality in bus engines, their emissions, and fuel consumption compared to fossil diesel.

These tests will be operated by Transdev Finland on HSL's regular bus route between the cities of Kerava and Helsinki in Finland.

The tests will be performed with four identical Volvo Euro VI Class buses that have low emissions and efficient engines.

‘One of the major targets of the initiative is to start using 100% renewable biofuels in [HSL’s] diesel vehicles in the coming years,’ says Sari Mannonen, sales and marketing director at UPM Biofuels.

The bus field tests are also part of a larger BioPilot project coordinated by VTT with the goal of encouraging companies to commercialise renewable energy solutions in traffic.

According to Nils-Olof Nylund, research professor at VTT, advanced sustainable biofuels are a great opportunity for Finland.

‘They could be our fast track to low emission traffic. When considering cutting traffic emissions both from the technological and economical point of view, Finland should invest in domestic biofuel production in the coming years,’ Nylund says.

Both VTT and Volvo will test all the buses used in the field tests before the start, in the middle, and at the end of the testing period.

In addition to operating the buses, Transdev Finland is responsible for the follow up of diesel consumption and the kilometres driven.

St1, which has sold UPM BioVerno at its filling stations as part of its Diesel Plus fuel since spring 2015, will act as the project’s fuel provider.  

UPM's renewable diesel, known as UPM BioVerno, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared with fossil fuels, with the latest studies also showing that the BioVerno diesel also reduces tailpipe emissions.

The biofuel is produced from crude tall oil, a residue of the pulp industry, with no edible materials being used.

UPM started the production of wood based renewable diesel in January 2015 at the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery with a production capacity of 120 million litres per year.