Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Research Articles

Modeling the end-use performance of alternative fuels in light-duty vehicles

Present study investigates the end-use performance of alternative liquid fuels in the current fleet of unmodified light-duty vehicle (LDV) engines. Two mathematical models have been developed that represent the way that various fuel properties affect fuel consumption in spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engines. Fuel consumption is represented by the results from the New European Driving Cycles (NEDC) in order to reflect the end-use impact. Data-driven black-box modeling and multilinear regression methods were applied to obtain both models. Additionally, quantitative analysis was performed to ensure the statistical significance of inputs (p-value below 5%). Fuel consumption (output) of various alternative fuels can be estimated with high accuracy (coefficient of determination above 0.96), knowing fuel properties (inputs) such as lower heating value, density, cetane/octane number, and oxygen content. The validation procedures confirmed the quality of predictions for both models with the average error being below 2.3%. The model performance for the examined fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and ethanol blends showed significant CO2 reduction with high accuracy. Moreover, both models could be used to estimate CO2 tailpipe emissions and are applicable to various liquid SI/CI fuels for LDV engines.

Oxalic acid-mediated catalytic transfer hydrodeoxygenation of waste cooking oil

Oxalic acid was employed for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of used vegetable cooking oil. Hydrogen production was achieved upon the decomposition of oxalic acid using a commercial industrially sulfided NiW/SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst. Products were analysed by attenuated infrared spectroscopy, simulated distillation and gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection/thermal conductivity detection for the produced gases. No hydrogen gas was added for these tests, which were performed in a nitrogen atmosphere at an initial pressure of 0 bar in an autoclave. Unprecedented results were obtained, with a high yield of deoxygenated hydrotreated vegetable oil hydrocarbons being achieved while avoiding the use of formic acid, which is both toxic and irritant.

Controlled Evaluation in a Diesel Engine of the Biofuel Obtained with Ni/γ-Al2O3 Nanoparticles in the Hydrodeoxygenation of Oleic Acid

AbstractRenewable biodiesel with a high content of n-C17 alkanes was prepared through the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of oleic acid under optimum conditions of temperature, reaction time and weight percentage of Ni deposited in γ-Al2O3. The hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) was blended with petrodiesel (20 % and 40 % of HVO) to evaluate its behaviour in a diesel engine. Comparative studies of power and emission of atmospheric pollutants such as NOx, CO, HC and smoke were evaluated under prepared blends and petrodiesel. The presence of HVO biodiesel at full load generated a slight decrease in power compared to petrodiesel; however, the decrease in emission of pollutants when using the blends containing HVO was significant. In the case of 40 % HVO were able to reduce more of 20 % of CO and HC emissions, and more than 40 % reduction in smoke when compared with petrodiesel. The NOx emissions of the blends with HVO had a significant slightly decrease. Further, the properties of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts are justified by the results of EDS characterization, surface area (SBET), XRD, XPS, HR-TEM and it’s capacity to produce biodiesel.

Efficient hydrotreated vegetable oil combustion under partially premixed conditions with heavy exhaust gas recirculation

This study performed a detailed analysis of combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder compression ignition engine fuelled with diesel, hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and their blend (50/50). Taking advantage of the high reactivity of HVO, the aim was to investigate how changes in fuel injection and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) strategies can achieve partially premixed combustion with superior efficiency and ultra-low engine-out emissions. Without EGR, and with a multi-pulse injection strategy optimized for diesel, combustion timings were the same for all three investigated fuels. HVO exhibited higher tolerance to EGR in terms of combustion retarding, so it was possible to use high recirculation rates. This reduced nitrogen oxides, while maintaining high indicated efficiency. The pilot injection control allowed further extending the EGR dilution limit without incurring trade-offs with combustion efficiency and related carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions. Additionally, heavy EGR conditions supported reduction of soot for all three tested fuels. However, the best trade-off between soot and other emission compounds was observed for HVO. HVO also resulted in the lowest emissions of aldehydes and aromatics. In conclusion, on the given engine platform at a steady-state, mid-load operating point, HVO allowed for 43% indicated thermal efficiency with engine-out nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide emissions near to Euro VI limits. This efficiency level was 1.5 percentage points above that for the optimized diesel operation.

Autoignition study of LPG blends with diesel and HVO in a constant-volume combustion chamber

There is an increasing interest in reducing CO2 as far as it is the main responsible of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since the contribution of heavy-duty (HD) vehicles to GHG emissions of the road transport sector reaches 24% in the European Union, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is suggested as a promising alternative fuel to be introduced in HD vehicles. The main drawback when using LPG in diesel engines is its poor autoignition behavior. To overcome this difficulty is possible to mix LPG with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) or diesel fuel, which acts as an ignition improver. This work has focused on LPG-HVO blends up to 75 %m/m LPG content, with lower LPG content admixtures included. Another measure to promote autoignition is using advanced injection strategies, particularly at low thermal conditions in the combustion chamber. This study concluded that 25LPG-75HVO blend (without any injection strategy modification) and 50LPG-50HVO blend (with advanced injection strategy) show better autoignition behavior than diesel fuel at low thermal conditions. At usual combustion conditions, LPG-HVO blends up to 75 %m/m LPG content can be supplied using an advanced injection strategy, and achieving similar autoignition behavior than diesel. LPG and HVO contents in the blend can be balanced depending on the thermal conditions. Therefore, a novel injection system with an in-line mixing valve capable of managing the instantaneous LPG/HVO ratio for compression ignition engines, is suggested. Testing these blends with advanced injection strategies using the in-line mixing system in a real HD engine would confirm these results.

Combustion and soot characteristics of hydrotreated vegetable oil compression-ignited spray flames

Quantitative measurements of combustion and in-flame soot in hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), biodiesel (rapeseed methyl ester [RME]) and diesel fuel spray flames are presented in this study. The measurements were performed in a compression ignition chamber with optical access having engine-like thermodynamic conditions. The simultaneously employed optical techniques were high-speed diffuse back-illuminated light extinction imaging for measuring the optical depth (KL) of in-flame soot, and OH* chemiluminescence for imaging high temperature reaction zones. The results show that diesel produces a considerably higher amount of in-flame soot compared to RME and HVO, which is likely due to the aromatics present in diesel, while RME and HVO produce similar levels. RME was found to produce slightly less soot, which is likely due to the fuel-bound oxygen, since HVO and RME have a similar number of carbon-carbon bonds. The soot production during the premixed and mixing-controlled period were found to have similar trends. The time lag between start of ignition and soot formation was found to be constant for varying ambient temperatures for individual fuels, where soot was detected earliest after ignition for diesel, followed by HVO and RME, matching the measured sooting tendencies. The stabilised flame lift-off length of HVO was found to be shorter than that of diesel, while RME had the shortest of them all.

Comparative Study on the Energetic and Ecologic Parameters of Dual Fuels (Diesel–NG and HVO–Biogas) and Conventional Diesel Fuel in a CI Engine

The Article presents the results of the experimental research and numerical analysis of a compression ignition (CI) engine adapted for running on dual fuels of different composition (diesel and natural gas, diesel and biogas, biodiesel and natural gas, and biodiesel and biogas). The main goal was to find out the impact of different dual fuels on energy performance and emissions depending on the start of injection (SOI) of diesel and the crank angle degree (CAD). Pure conventional diesel fuel and second generation hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) (Neste) was used in the research. Natural gas contained 97 vol. % of methane. Biogas (biomethane) was simulated using a methane and carbon dioxide blend consisting of 60 vol. % of methane and 40 vol. % of carbon dioxide. Dual (liquid and gaseous) fuels were used in the tests, with the energy share of liquid fuels accounting for 40% and gas for 60%. The research results have shown that having replaced conventional diesel fuel with dual fuel, engine’s BTE declined by 11.9–16.5%. The use of methane in the dual fuel blend reduced CO2 volumetric fraction in the exhaust gases by 17–20%, while biomethane increased CO2 volumetric fraction by 10–14%. Dual fuel significantly increased CO and HC emissions, but NOx volumetric fraction decreased by 67–82% and smoke by 23–39%. The numerical analysis of the combustion process revealed changes in the ROHR (Rate of Heat Release) that affected engine efficiency and exhaust emissions was done by AVL (Anstalt für Verbrennungskraftmaschinen List) BOOST program.

Influence of diesel vehicles on the biosphere

Purpose. To identify environmental climatic impacts resulting from the biodiesel fuel use for vehicles (Vs). Methodology. The methods are based on computation of natural resource consumption and toxic emission with the help of environmental footprint calculator being a software program. Findings. The results of integral assessment of the environmental impact (namely, consumption of water, power, natural resources, and emission of greenhouse gases 2, and NOx in terms of such base traction trucks as VOLVO FM, FH, FE, and FL) were computed for biodiesel fuel types 0, 7, 30, 100 depending upon different standards of EURO propellants. Both positive and negative environmental impact factors have been determined for consuming biofuels during full lifecycle of Vs. It has been defined that minor decrease in 2 emission owing to the use of standard modern biodiesel fuel is followed by significant increase in NOx emission as well as power and water consumption in terms of first-generation biodiesel fuel utilization. VOLVO F Vs were applied for comparative analysis of environmental impact by first-generation biodiesel fuel (i.e. 7, 30, 100) and second-generation fuel being hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). Similar tendencies were recognized. Moreover, opportunity to apply biodiesel fuels along with other measures decreasing 2 emission was analyzed. Originality. Originality is stipulated by the use of the integrated assessment of impact of vehicles on climate change as well as use of natural resources while applying biodiesel fuel for vehicles. Practical value. It is possible to forecast environmental consequences resulting from the use of various biodiesel fuels for Vs.

Improving PM-NOx trade-off with paraffinic fuels: A study towards diesel engine optimization with HVO

The current work investigates the impact of a paraffinic fuel on combustion and emissions of a diesel engine, examining alternative injection strategies for the full exploitation of the fuel characteristics. The paraffinic fuel used was the HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) produced by Neste Oil with the brand name NEXBTL. The study was conducted on a light-duty turbocharged and aftercooled common-rail diesel engine, with both HVO and a conventional diesel fuel. Four steady-state operating points were examined, at low and medium engine speeds (1500 and 3000 rpm) and loads (35 and 100 Nm), typical of daily driving of a passenger car. The key contribution of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the phenomena influencing the crank angle resolved in-cylinder parameters, as well as interlinking the effects of different variations of injection pressure (default and 300 bar higher), pilot injection timing (default and ± 5°CA) and main injection timing (default and ± 2°CA) on gaseous emissions and particulate matter (PM). The findings have shown that at default engine settings the use of HVO results in up to 40% reduction of engine-out PM and HC emissions without appreciable changes in NOx emissions. The significant reduction of engine-out PM levels, facilitates the adoption of measures for NOx emissions limitation. The latter are reduced by up to 20% when the main injection timing is retarded (by 2° CA in the present study), while PM emissions are still kept well below the respective diesel fuel levels.

Exhaust emissions from diesel engines fueled by different blends with the addition of nanomodifiers and hydrotreated vegetable oil HVO

Diesel emissions have a significant impact on the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution, smog and global warming. As a result, diesel exhaust is dangerous to human health. While emissions reduction efforts have often focused on changing engine design or improving aftertreatment, diesel fuel modifications can also play an important role in improving engine efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions. The aim of this work was to examine the potential for emissions reductions under real-world conditions when employing fuel additives. Three different additives were examined, consisting of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and two commercial additives containing nanoparticles of cerium dioxide and ferrocene. HVO was selected as a renewable fuel, an alternative to commonly used biodiesels with competitive advantages. The new European driving cycle (NEDC) procedure was used to measure emissions of regulated compounds: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulates (by mass and number) from an 11-year-old passenger car equipped with a diesel engine powered by fuel blends. The fuel blends prepared met the quality requirements for diesel fuel. The results obtained confirm that the application of both HVO and nano-additives to diesel can achieve a significant reduction of carbon monoxide (52%) and hydrocarbon (47%) emissions compared to the B7 base fuel. Particulate emissions (up to 10% by mass of particulates and 7% by number of particulates) were found to be best reduced by adding nanoparticles of cerium dioxide to the B7 fuel (with 30% HVO), while the best results in reducing nitrogen oxide emissions were obtained by adding ferrocene nanoparticles to the B7 fuel with 30% HVO.

Effects of a wave-shaped piston bowl geometry on the performance of heavy duty Diesel engines fueled with alcohols and biodiesel blends

The effects of a new wave-shaped piston bowl design on combustion characteristics and engine out emissions were tested in a heavy duty Diesel engine fueled with conventional Diesel and fossil-free blends containing n-butanol, n-octanol, 2-ethylhexanol, hydrotreated vegetable oil, and rapeseed methyl ester. The compositions of the blends were chosen such that their cetane numbers matched that of fossil Diesel. Engine experiments were performed at four operating points from the European Stationary Cycle, with no modification of engine settings when switching between different fuels. A standard piston with omega geometry was tested using fossil Diesel and the fossil-free nBu30H (30% n-butanol and 70% hydrotreated vegetable oil by volume) blend, and the results obtained were compared to those achieved with the wave piston. In general, the fossil-free blends yielded significantly lower soot emissions than fossil Diesel but slightly higher NOx emissions. Relative to the standard piston, the wave piston accelerated the combustion of both Diesel and fossil-free blends, especially the diffusion combustion. The wave piston’s positive effects on thermal efficiency and soot emissions were more pronounced for conventional Diesel fuel than for oxygenated nBu30H.

Comparison of hydrogenated vegetable oil and biodiesel effects on combustion, unregulated and regulated gaseous pollutants and DPF regeneration procedure in a Euro6 car

The effects of traditional biodiesel (fatty acid methyl-esters, FAME) and a hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) were comprehensively investigated on a production Euro 6 diesel car, including fuel injection rate and timing, combustion analysis, emissions of regulated and unregulated pollutants, and regeneration of the diesel particle filter. The use of both biofuels is a part of the efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and health-relevant pollutants and to improve energy security and sustainability. HVO, albeit more expensive, offers benefits relative to FAME in terms of oxidation stability, injector fouling, energy content and cetane number. The car was fitted with an on-board instrumentation and subjected to a range of driving cycles on a chassis dynamometer. The fuel consumption calculated from instantaneous emissions data based on exhaust gas composition measured by an on-board FTIR and calculated exhaust flow matched directly measured fuel consumption within several percent on all fuels; differences in the consumption among the fuels correspond to different heating values. The combustion onset and maximum heat release rate were comparable for diesel and FAME but were advanced on HVO due to its higher cetane number, causing, at times, multiple distinct heat release peaks, suggesting that optimization of fuel injection timing for HVO might be beneficial. Emissions of methane and ammonia were negligible, of N2O were measurable and slightly lower for HVO than for other fuels, of formaldehyde were limited to cold engine accelerations and highest for FAME and negligible for HVO, of NO and NO2 were high on all fuels during all operating conditions except for the type approval test. The results confirm several relative advantages of HVO over RME, with penetration into engine lubricating oil during particle filter regeneration to be further investigated. The effects of HVO lubricity and other long-term effects were not evaluated here.

Research on the Combustion, Energy and Emission Parameters of Various Concentration Blends of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Biofuel and Diesel Fuel in a Compression-Ignition Engine

This article presents our research results on the physical-chemical and direct injection diesel engine performance parameters when fueled by pure diesel fuel and retail hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). This fuel is called NexBTL by NESTE, and this renewable fuel blends with a diesel fuel known as Pro Diesel. A wide range of pure diesel fuel and NexBTL100 blends have been tested and analyzed: pure diesel fuel, pure NexBTL, NexBTL10, NexBTL20, NexBTL30, NexBTL40, NexBTL50, NexBTL70 and NexBTL85. The energy, pollution and in-cylinder parameters were analyzed under medium engine speed (n = 2000 and n = 2500 rpm) and brake torque load regimes (30–120 Nm). AVL BOOST software was used to analyze the heat release characteristics. The analysis of brake specific fuel consumption showed controversial results due to the lower density of NexBTL. The mass fuel consumption decreased by up to 4%, and the volumetric consumption increased by up to approximately 6%. At the same time, the brake thermal efficiency mainly increased by approximately 0.5–1.4%. CO, CO2, NOx, HC and SM were analyzed, and the change in CO was negligible when increasing NexBTL in the fuel blend. Higher SM reduction was achieved while increasing the percentage of NexBTL in the blends.

An experimental investigation into combustion characteristics of HVO compared with TME and ULSD at varied blend ratios

The combustion characteristics of hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), tallow methyl ester (TME), and their blends with ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) have been investigated using a Combustion Research Unit (CRU). Generally, HVO has the shortest ignition delay and the longest combustion duration due to the highest cetane number. For all the tested fuels, the ignition delay decreased with increased ULSD content and increasing ambient pressure could lengthen the combustion duration. The combustion duration of neat HVO increased with ambient temperature. Whereas with HVO30, TME and their blends, all the combustion durations initially deceased until they reached their lowest at 560 °C, and then they increased when the ambient temperature was further increased. It is believed the shortest combustion duration is the transition of the combustion regime from mainly premixed combustion to mainly diffusion combustion and the temperature around 560 °C is the transition point for HVO30, TME100 and its blends with ULSD in the test conditions.

Roadside assessment of a modern city bus fleet: Gaseous and particle emissions

In many cities worldwide, modern fleets have been introduced to reduce gaseous and particle emissions from city buses. To date, most emission studies are limited to a few vehicles, making a statistically significant assessment of control options difficult, especially under real-world driving conditions. Exhaust emissions of 234 individual city buses were measured under real-world stop-and-go traffic conditions at a bus stop in Gothenburg, Sweden. The buses comprised models fulfilling Euro III-VI and EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) standards with different engine technologies, fuels, and exhaust after-treatment systems, and also included hybrid-electric buses (HEV). Both gaseous (NOx, CO, HC, and SO2) and size-resolved particle number (PN) and mass (PM) emission factors (EF) were calculated for vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG), diesel (DSL), Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) and Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) equipped with various after-treatment technologies, e.g., diesel particulate filter (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. The highest median EFPN was obtained from Euro VHEV-HVO-SCR buses (MdEFPN = 18×1014 # kg-1) when their combustion engines were used though 53% of their accelerations were below detection limits indicating the use of their electrical engine. The highest MdEFPM was obtained from the Euro V-DSL-SCR buses (MdEFPM = 150 mg kg-1) and the lowest from EEV-CNG buses (below detection threshold) and Euro VIHEV-HVO- SCR+EGR+DPF buses (MdEFPM = 19 mg kg-1). The highest MdEFNOx was obtained from the Euro V-RME-SCR (MdEFNOx = 30 g kg-1) and Euro VHEV-HVO-SCR buses (MdEFNOx = 24 g kg-1), and the lowest from CNG buses (MdEFNOx = 4.8 g kg-1) and Euro VIHEV-HVO-SCR+EGR+DPF buses (MdEFNOx = 7.4 g kg-1). Hybrid buses can give higher PN emissions compared to traditional diesel engines, likely due to downsized combustion engines. Replacing diesel by biodiesel fuel reduced MdEFPM significantly but increased MdEFNOx which may be due to the higher combustion temperature and oxygen contents of the fuel (for RME). Overall, the EEV-CNG buses performed the best regarding both the MdEF and low contribution to the high emitters. It was also found that a small (5%) proportion of the buses contributed significantly (14-30%) to the total emissions. Identification and monitoring the maintenance of the high emitters in the fleets should be considered for the improvement of air quality.

Factors influencing the environmental sustainability and growth of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in Sweden

The study analyzes the factors influencing the environmental sustainability and growth of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in Sweden. The major feedstocks identified in the HVO supply chain are palm oil, rapeseed oil, PFAD, tallow and tall oil. LCA studies reveal that feedstock grown on-purpose have larger life cycle GHG emissions than residual feedstock. However, due to the limited supply of residual feedstock there is a need to be more dependent on domestic sustainable resources. The complexity of feedstock, origin, processing technologies, allocation approach, land use changes (LUC) and selection of environmental categories could result in variations of the LCA results. To achieve national emissions target, policy instruments such as reduction obligations and tax incentives favor the market for HVO. However, to see more comprehensive results of the HVO development, research is needed to integrate the technological perspective from pilot scale to the commercialized market at local, regional and global level.

Selection of Blends of Diesel Fuel and Advanced Biofuels Based on Their Physical and Thermochemical Properties

Current policies focus on encouraging the use of renewable energy sources in transport to reduce the contribution of this sector to global warming and air pollution. In the short-term, attention is focused on developing renewable fuels. Among them, the so-called advanced biofuels, including non-crop and waste-based biofuels, possess important benefits such as higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings and the capacity not to compete with food markets. Recently, European institutions have agreed on specific targets for the new Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001), including 14% of renewable energy in rail and road transport by 2030. To achieve this, advanced biofuels will be double-counted, and their contribution must be at least 3.5% in 2030 (with a phase-in calendar from 2020). In this work, the fuel properties of blends of regular diesel fuel with four advanced biofuels derived from different sources and production processes are examined. These biofuels are (1) biobutanol produced by microbial ABE fermentation from renewable material, (2) HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) derived from hydrogenation of non-edible oils, (3) biodiesel from waste free fatty acids originated in the oil refining industry, and (4) a novel biofuel that combines fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and glycerol formal esters (FAGE), which contributes to a decrease in the excess of glycerol from current biodiesel plants. Blending ratios include 5, 10, 15, and 20% (% vol.) of biofuel, covering the range expected for biofuels in future years. Pure fuels and some higher ratios are considered as well to complete and discuss the tendencies. In the case of biodiesel and FAME/FAGE blends in diesel, ratios up to 20% meet all requirements set in current fuel quality standards. Larger blending ratios are possible for HVO blends if HVO is additivated to lubricity improvers. For biobutanol blends, the recommended blending ratio is limited to 10% or lower to avoid high water content and low cetane number.

Combustion Characteristics of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil-Diesel Blends under EGR and Low Temperature Combustion Conditions

This paper investigates the effects of Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)-diesel blends on combustion characteristics under various ambient oxygen concentrations and ambient temperatures in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC). Combustion characteristics were presented in terms of heat release rate, ignition delay and integral heat release. The shadowgraph images of spray combustion were presented for spray development and combustion progress. The experiment was carried out on CVCC under constant injection pressure and energizing time. The synthetic gas with varied oxygen concentrations between three discrete values from 21, 15 and 10 % to simulate EGR on engine conditions. The ambient temperatures were varied at 1100, 900 and 700 K to study the effects of ambient temperatures. Four different fuels were tested: commercial diesel, commercial diesel-HVO blends and HVO with the single-hole injector. The results showed that decreasing ambient oxygen concentration to 10 % resulted in 13.42 % lower heat release rate and 13.89 % lower integral heat release. This also extended ignition delay. Decreasing ambient temperature resulted in longer ignition delay with higher peak heat release rate. Increasing HVO showed 6.43 % shorter ignition delay compare to diesel due to higher cetane number. The shadowgraph images showed that HVO has better evaporation 0.7 to 0.9 ms after injection due to its lower density, viscosity and distillation temperature at T90.

Alternative marine fuels: Prospects based on multi-criteria decision analysis involving Swedish stakeholders

There is a need for alternative marine fuels in order to reduce the environmental and climate impacts of shipping, in the short and long term. This study assesses the prospects for seven alternative fuels for the shipping sector in 2030, including biofuels, by applying a multi-criteria decision analysis approach that is based on the estimated fuel performance and on input from a panel of maritime stakeholders and by considering, explicitly, the influence of stakeholder preferences. Seven alternative marine fuels—liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied biogas (LBG), methanol from natural gas, renewable methanol, hydrogen for fuel cells produced from (i) natural gas or (ii) electrolysis based on renewable electricity, and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)—and heavy fuel oil (HFO) as benchmark are included and ranked by ten performance criteria and their relative importance. The criteria cover economic, environmental, technical, and social aspects. Stakeholder group preferences (i.e., the relative importance groups assign to the criteria) influence the ranking of these options. For ship-owners, fuel producers, and engine manufacturers, economic criteria, in particular the fuel price, are the most important. These groups rank LNG and HFO the highest, followed by fossil methanol, and then various biofuels (LBG, renewable methanol, and HVO). Meanwhile, representatives from Swedish government authorities prioritize environmental criteria, specifically GHG emissions, and social criteria, specifically the potential to meet regulations, ranking renewable hydrogen the highest, followed by renewable methanol, and then HVO. Policy initiatives are needed to promote the introduction of renewable marine fuels.

Assessment of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) Applicability as an Alternative Marine Fuel Based on Its Performance and Emissions Characteristics

Assessment of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) Applicability as an Alternative Marine Fuel Based on Its Performance and Emissions Characteristics