UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2019

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in the Helsinki metropolitan area. These tests confirm that the fuel measurably reduces emissions. UPM is part of the BioSata project coordinated by VTT, which will see the Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) bus service and the City of Helsinki’s construction fleet transition entirely to biofuels. Helsinki area’s 1,400 buses consume 40,000 tonnes of fuel per year, which is less than one tenth of Finland’s annual volume of biofuel production, which amounts to 500,000 tonnes. To halve greenhouse gas emissions from transport, Finland needs about 800,000 tonnes of biofuel per year by 2030. In February, the Finnish Parliament passed a law requiring fuel companies to gradually increase the proportion of biofuels added to traditional petrol and diesel by 30% by 2030, including a 10% target for advanced biofuels – the latter being an ambitious aim yet unmatched by any other country in the world.

“Significant emission reductions can be achieved with renewable fuels, with Finland at the forefront of their

development,” says VTT Senior Advisor Nils-Olof Nylund.

The new Biofuels Distribution Act encourages companies to invest in greener alternatives, thereby providing a guarantee for the survival of the biofuel industry.

quite simply, is to replace fossil fuels with renewable alternatives. However, legislation covering car manufacturing and emission standards still only addresses CO 2 emissions from vehicle exhaust, which fails to give a full picture of their environmental impact. “Looking only as far as the exhaust pipe doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s better to do a well-to-wheel analysis looking at energy consumption and emissions for the whole process from manufacturing to end of life. This full lifecycle analysis takes into account not only energy use, but also all emissions from vehicle manufacturing and recycling,” Nylund points out. Carbon dioxide is released as exhaust also during the combustion of renewable diesel and ethanol. However, biofuel is classed as zero emission on balance, because the carbon dioxide is circulated and recaptured. The only real emissions derive from its production. In the same vein, energy production emissions should also be taken into account. Take for example the exhaust- free electric car: In countries such as Australia, India and China, where coal is widely used to produce electricity, electric cars are liable to generate

Looking beyond the exhaust pipe

The road to transport sustainability is fairly straightforward: the solution,

UPM Plywood has developed transport products that facilitate

truck loading and enable increased transport capacity.

46 | UPM BIOFORE BEYOND FOSSILS