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| Subject: Montreal Buses To Run on BiodieselStarting tomorrow, thousands of Montrealers will be boarding city buses fueled partially by soybean oil. | |
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Author: Source: Montreal Gazette [Mar 26, 2002] |
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Date Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 06:32:24am In reply to: with whom we will bid 's message, "Bombardier IncMontreal project." on Tuesday, March 18, 09:30:33am Montreal Buses To Run on Biodiesel 155 Montreal Transit Corp. buses to run on 20% biodiesel by midsummer 2002. Source: Montreal Gazette [Mar 26, 2002] Starting tomorrow, thousands of Montrealers will be boarding city buses fueled partially by soybean oil. By midsummer, 155 Montreal Transit Corp. buses on 19 routes serving downtown Montreal will be running on 20-per-cent biodiesel, a mixture of soybean oil, used cooking oil and animal fat. The biodiesel will be mixed with conventional diesel fuel for this year-long, $1.3-million pilot project financed mainly by the federal and provincial governments. "The first thing people will notice is that there will be no more black smoke coming from the buses," said Camil Lagacé, director of the Biobus project. Because biodiesel is composed of 11 per cent oxygen by mass, even low concentrations make conventional diesel burn better, reducing pollution. Emissions of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, fine particulates and unburned hydrocarbons, some of which are known to cause cancer, can be significantly reduced by using a mixture of diesel and biodiesel. But Lagacé said it's an urban myth that vehicles running on biodiesel smell like french fries. It is possible to retrofit engines to get vehicles to run only on used cooking oil and, in that case, Lagacé conceded there is a slight odour of fried food. But because the MTC buses will be running on a mix of biodiesel and diesel fuel, the resulting odour will be similar to diesel, though less strong. North American first The MTC buses will not have to be adjusted in any way to use biodiesel, but they will be closely monitored during the project to assess cold-weather performance of the fuel. Although other transit companies are experimenting with biofuels, the Biobus project is the first in North America to test the viability of this type of fuel on so many public-transit vehicles and in cold weather. Bus routes using the new fuel include: the 15 and 34 along Ste. Catherine St., the 150 along René Lévesque Blvd., the 139 and 505 along Pie IX Blvd., the 132 on Viau St. and the 167 to the Montreal Casino. This is not the first time Montreal's transit system has experimented with alternative fuels. Previous pilot projects using natural gas and hythane (a mixture of methanol and hydrogen) have not yielded conclusive results, MTC spokesman Odile Paradis said. But Paradis said the transit authority has completed preliminary tests in climate-controlled conditions that suggest biodiesel could be viable, once it is commercialized and the price - currently twice the price of diesel - comes down. She said the transit agency is proud to be experimenting with a fuel that reduces greenhouse-gas emissions and reuses waste oil and non-food-grade animal fats. "The preliminary test results were very encouraging," Paradis said. "Now we want to test in real-life winter conditions and if there are any problems in terms of powering (uphill) or anything else, we will just go back to diesel. We want to be a part of this experiment, but not at the expense of our clients." Lagacé said no one is expecting problems with bus operations once the fuel is in the tanks, because the fuel is kept warm enough while the bus is running and overnight in a heated garage. The study will look at whether there are problems with freezing during delivery, or if a bus breaks down and is stuck on the side of the road in cold temperatures for an extended period of time. "We might find that it's better to preheat the oil, or deliver it in heated trucks, but we are sure that it will work once it's in the buses," Lagacé said. Rothsay/Laurenco, a Sainte-Catherine firm specializing in recycling agro-industry wastes, will produce the pure biodiesel for the project. Groups Provide Funds Funding will also be provided by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, a non-profit group that promotes renewable fuels, and the Fédérations des Producteurs de Cultures Commerciales du Québec, representing cash-crop producers in Quebec with the goal of finding markets for their produce. "One of the goals in using biodiesel is to provide a new, less polluting and less environmentally harmful fuel made from the wastes of local farm production or from agro-industry by-products," CFRA president Bliss Baker said. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Montreal's Metropolitan Area Transit Agency | Mass transit services are provided by three transit corporations and 19 inter-municipal transit councils. | Wednesday, March 19, 06:37:10am |