Volvo uses renewable diesel in its plant in Curitiba

By Redação AutoIndústria | 8/24/23 | Translated by Jorge Meditsch

Volvo began to use Petrobras R5 renewable diesel in its plant in Curitiba, PR, to fuel trucks and buses for delivery, proving ground tests and in the laboratories. The fuel results from co-processing mineral diesel and vegetal oil.

According to Petrobras, the R5 Diesel can avoid emitting one ton of CO2 at each 9.5 thousand compared to 100% fossil diesel. With initiatives such as Volvo’s, unprecedented in the segment in Brazil, the manufacturer estimates to reduce carbon emissions by 400 tons a year in its industrial operation in Paraná.

This is one more step in our commitment to energy transition for decarbonization in transport”, said in a note Alan Holzmann, Volvo’s director of truck products strategy. The company pursues globally to reduce by 50% the CO2 emissions by the brand’s vehicles by 2020 and 100% by 2040.

The new fuel is a sustainable option for diesel cycle engines. Besides reducing greenhouse-effect gas emissions, the R5 Diesel can be mixed with conventional diesel in any proportion without harming engines or requiring adaptation. “It isn’t necessary to make any change in the distribution chain logistics or storage processes”, assures Holzmann.

The diesel with renewable content produced by Petrobras is available in the market. In 2023, the company would expand by nearly 150% the R5 Diesel production capacity at Getúlio Vargas Refinery in Araucária, PR. The use of this capacity will depend on the market’s conditions.