Low-cost, green fuel for the fishing industry - 23/03/2006

Seafish has launched an important project which aims to provide the fishing industry with an alternative, low-cost and environmentally-friendly fuel.

With rising fuel costs and increasing environmental pressure, a viable alternative to conventional diesel would deliver huge benefits to fishermen.

Tom Rossiter, Technical Implementation Manager at Seafish, who is overseeing the project said: “We’ve seen crippling fuel price increases of over 100% in the last 24 months that have hit the industry really hard. There is also increasing pressure to find green alternatives to conventional fuels. Biofuels could provide solutions to both these issues at once.”

Biofuels are renewable sources of energy made from vegetable oils of plants such as oil seed rape and sunflowers. They contribute far less greenhouse gas than conventional diesel and the CO2 they emit is absorbed by plants when they grow.

Tom said: “Biofuels are huge news just now. The UK Government committed itself in the 2003 Energy White Paper to reduce CO2 emissions in the UK by 60% by around 2050 and Alistair Darling recently announced that by 2010, five per cent of all transport fuel sold in the UK will have to come from a renewable source. A number of car manufacturers, from Volvo to Saab, are also exploring the possibilities of biofuels, and just last week, UK supermarket Morrisons announced that it would open the UK’s first bioethanol filling pump.”

Investigating the use of biofuels on land may be well advanced, but using biofuels at sea has several advantages. Marine diesel contains higher sulphur content than land-based diesel fuel which translates into substantial sulphur dioxide emissions at sea. These emissions lead to the formation of acid rain. With biofuels, however, these emissions would be reduced by over 99%.

In addition, marine engines are generally lower revving and more tolerant of different types of fuel than terrestrial engines, such as those found in cars. This tolerance should allow marine engines to run lower grade – and ultimately cheaper – biofuels.

The project brings together technical expertise in bio-diesel technology from the Camborne School of Mines and in control electronics from Oxfordshire-based technology company, Regenatec. It is partly funded by the European Union through the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG), and Seafish will manage the project on behalf of Defra.

Tom Rossiter continues: “This project will investigate two different approaches which offer distinct choices for fishermen. The project being run by Camborne will produce a form of biodiesel which can be used directly in existing engines. The other approach by Regenatec, is to make minor modifications to a marine engine to allow it to run on straight vegetable oil – the same oil you can use to fry fish and chips.

“Straight vegetable oil is likely to prove cheaper per litre than biodiesel, but there are upfront costs involved in modifying the engine, so each solution will be attractive depending on typical fuel usage patterns of individual vessels.

“We’re really excited about what this project could do for the fishing industry,” Mr Rossiter continues.

“We will be testing the biofuels on two fishing boats in Newlyn and Grimsby in the next few months. If all goes to plan, we will progress to investigating widespread commercial use by the end of 2007.”

Ends

For more information contact:

Tom Rossiter, Technology Implementation Manager, Seafish
Tel: 01482 327837
Email: t_rossiter@seafish.co.uk

William Ancell, Communications Executive, Seafish
Tel: 0131 524 8667
Email: w_ancell@seafish.co.uk

Neil Wood, Project Manager, Camborne School of Mines
Tel: 01326 371822/371846, mobile 07887 932536
Email: N.A.Wood@exeter.ac.uk

Will Smith, Business Development Director, Regenatec
Tel: 0870 850 3573
Email: will.smith@regenatec.com

Notes to editors:

• The Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) was established by the Government in 1981 and is a Non Departmental Public Body.  From sea to plate, Seafish delivers expert, knowledge, skills and support which help the UK seafood industry secure a sustainable and profitable future.
• Seafish is funded from a statutory levy on all fish, shellfish and seafood products landed, imported or cultivated in the UK. Our annual budget is around £11 million with just under 80 per cent of this from levy and the rest from grant funding and consultancy work.
• The bio-fuels project is part-financed by the European Union through the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG), the structural fund for fisheries. FIFG aims to maintain a dynamic and competitive fishing industry and revitalise areas dependent on fishing. It is administered in the UK by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• The bio-fuels project also funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and Seafish.
• Camborne School of Mines (CSM) is part of the University of Exeter and is based at the Cornwall Campus. A department of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources it was founded in 1888 and has an international reputation. Research and teaching is related to the understanding and management of the Earth’s natural processes, resources (minerals, hydrocarbons, energy) and the environment.
• Regenatec designs, develops and manufacturers technology that allows commercial diesel engines to operate from pure plant oils (PPOs) such as vegetable oil.  Following successful trials, Regenatec is due to launch the technology for commercial road vehicles in April 2006.