Oil aboard! Edinburgh Airport using vegetable oil to drive down emissions

Vehicles operating at Edinburgh Airport are now being powered by vegetable oil as the airport continues to look at ways of reducing its emissions.

Thirty-four vehicles have made the change from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) which is a renewable diesel alternative that eliminates up to 90% of net carbon dioxide emissions whilst also offering significant savings on nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions.

There are plans for at least another thirty vehicles to make the switch to HVO in the next few weeks and months, and the airport has installed an HVO fuel pump on campus. The pump is being used by airport vehicles and those operated by third parties and contractors, supporting campus partners with their decarbonisation programmes.

HVO is a ‘drop-in’ fuel replacement for vehicles that have previously been diesel powered.

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 decarbonising our and our partners’ operations across the campus.

“Introducing the use of vegetable oil in our airside vehicles is part of our strategy to 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.”