Edinburgh Airport is Scotland has begun powering its airside vehicles using vegetable oil as it continues to look at ways of reducing emissions.
Thirty-four vehicles have made the change from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable diesel alternative that eliminates up to 90% of net carbon dioxide emissions while also offering significant savings on nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions.
There are plans for at least another 30 vehicles to make the switch to HVO in the coming months, with an HVO fuel pump now installed on site. The pump is being used by airport vehicles and those operated by third parties and contractors.
Gordon Robertson, director of communications and sustainability at Edinburgh Airport, said, “Zero carbon is just one of the pillars in our Greater Good sustainability strategy and we are constantly evaluating ways of decarbonizing our and our partners’ operations across the campus.
“Introducing the use of vegetable oil in our airside vehicles is part of our strategy and means we can now actively chip away at our emissions by replacing diesel with a renewable fuel source, driving down our environmental impact as we look to deliver a more sustainable future for the airport.”