Eni and the City of Venice sign agreement to test new 15% renewable fuel in public transport vessels
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
AVM (Azienda
Veneziana della Mobilità) Group, the City of Venice, Eni and Veritas
have signed an agreement to launch a large-scale experimental project based on
the use of the new fuel Eni Diesel+ in public transport vessels (see press
release, 9/3/2018). Such fuel is 15% renewable and will be supplied to AVM,
the Venetian public transport company, at the same cost as traditional diesel.
Figure 1. Venice's water bus system is the
city's major form of public transportation
The renewable part of this fuel is generated in
the Eni
biorefinery at Porto Marghera. Through the EcofiningTM
technology of UOP, the existing Venice refinery was transformed into a biorefinery
for the production of advanced biofuels, predominately renewable diesel. Veritas,
a company which collects and processes waste in the Venice area, will send domestic
frying oil (after purification) to the biorefinery.
To test the results of reduction in polluting
emissions from Eni Diesel+, a bus was used at Eni’s laboratories in Milan. Eni
carried out these tests in collaboration with and under the supervision of the Istituto Motori of the CNR (Consiglio Nazionale
delle Ricerche) in Naples. The tests have shown a reduction in polluting
emissions, in particular nitrogen oxides and ultrafine particles, in addition
to lower consumption due to the high calorific value of the fuel’s renewable
component.
Now, tests on marine engines will be carried
out during the experimentation phase in Venice. The trial will run for seven
months, from 1 April to 31 October 2018. All the vessels of the AVM/Actv fleet,
which currently run on traditional diesel fuel, will use the new fuel.
