The M/V Anna Desgagnés, being unloaded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut. With thanks to Lise Audet, Groupes Desgagnés for sending this shot along…

In Environment Canada’s EnviroZine Issue 69, there is a lengthy story on the test use of biodiesel on a marine vessel.

On July 2, 2006, the merchant vessel Anna Desgagnés set out to ship its standard cargo of heavy machinery, trucks and freights to ports along the Atlantic coast, all the way into Resolute Bay, one of the northernmost points in Canada.

In addition to its usual cargo, the hulking 17 850 ton ship – part of the Transport Desgagnés fleet – had something else onboard. As part of a pilot project called BioShip, one of the four generators powering the ship was running on a unique blend of rendered animal fats and cooking oils.

Included in the article were some ‘fast facts’ on biodiesel, which I thought were worth sharing:

Biodiesel is 10 times less toxic than table salt and as biodegradable as sugar. This makes biodiesel ideal for use in environmentally sensitive areas.

Biodiesel provides increased lubricity, increasing engine performance and decreasing engine wear.

Restaurants in Canada generate nearly 200 million kilograms of spent cooking fats and oils every year.

Biodiesel is safer to handle and transport than petroleum.

Biodiesel can be used in all diesel vehicles with minimal or no engine modifications and provides as much power as normal diesel fuel.

Rothsay Biodiesel, a division of Maple Leaf Foods Ltd., provided 115 000 litres of their animal-based biofuel – biodiesel – for the BioShip project. (more…)

Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) was to become available in Canada next June…

There is some indication of some minor changes to this date.

Get the information here.

Essentially, it has been requested that Oct 15th 2006 be the drop dead date for 15 ppm supply. There will be a ‘grace period’ of sorts where 22 ppm will be allowed prior to that date.

The proposed changes in Canada are meant to align with US changes, which you can read about here.

Not sure what ULSD is all about? Read on:

Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) is diesel fuel that contains no more than 15 parts per million of sulfur. Because sulfur clogs pollution control devices known as particulate matter filters or particulate traps, EPA is requiring that ULSD be available nationwide beginning in 2006. This cleaner diesel fuel will be available before the new trucks and buses that meet EPA’s 2007 emission standards debut on our nation’s roadways.

source

Diesel fuel in Canada is currently allowed to have up to 500 ppm sulphur, although this number has already been substantially reduced in many areas.

Consumers should look forward to additional emissions technology being introduced on passenger and heavy-duty vehicles for the model year 2007 and beyond. This will further enhance the ability of diesel vehicles to be a smart choice for reducing consumption, while not creating additional pollution.

On Sunday September 11th during a fuel efficient vehicle display in Charlottetown, I had the opportunity to present MP Shawn Murphy with a Pure Canada Foundation shirt, and an info card about the SE2 project that Fraser Valley residents are opposed to.

Shawn and his wife Yvette Comeau came to the event in their Honda Civic hybrid. I had a chance to talk about the One-Tonne Challenge and how the smart car fits into the picture. Yvette and I had a discussion about diesel fuel, and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999 whch mandates a reduction of sulphur content in diesel fuel beginning in June 2006.

The proposed Regulations will lower the maximum limit for sulphur in on-road diesel fuel to 15 milligrams per kilogram of the fuel, which is equivalent to 15 parts per million (p.p.m.), commencing June 1, 2006. The current regulations, in effect since January 1, 1998, specify a maximum limit of 0.05 percent by weight for sulphur (i.e., 500 milligrams per kilogram of fuel, or 500 p.p.m.). The further reduction of sulphur in on-road diesel fuel is required primarily to enable the efficient operation of advanced exhaust emission control technologies needed to comply with new heavy-duty diesel vehicle emissions standards that are expected to come into effect for the 2007 model year. The low sulphur diesel fuel will also be necessary to enable diesel light-duty vehicles to use similar technologies as a means of meeting emission standards that are planned to be phased in starting with the 2004 model year.