Biodiesel hits the mark with BGC

Interest in biodiesel is increasing again as the technology’s usage broadens and business becomes confident in adopting it, according to local fuel distributor and retailer Gull.

Gull general manager Michael Mullins said he was seeing more interest from mining companies in using the company’s biodiesel fuels – a change which he attributed to confidence in the market after some operators had become familiar with the product.

Mr Mullins marked the milestone last week of one million litres of biodiesel sold to major construction company BGC, which has been using the fuel as a 2 per cent blend in its fleet.

At 2 per cent, the biodiesel’s key attribute is ‘lubricity’, which improves fuel efficiency and reduces wear and tear.

Gull, which is now owned in WA by Northern Territory-based Ausfuel, produces the blend at its terminal at Kwinana using biodiesel supplied by Bioworks in Henderson, a shift from last year when Gull used its own sources in Queensland. The raw material for Bioworks fuel is used cooking oil and similar waste products.

BGC managing director Sam Buckeridge, who heads the group’s manufacturing operations, said the company had been using biodiesel in its substantial construction and manufacturing operations since 2008.

Mr Buckeridge said the group’s use extended from road trains, concrete agitators, cement tankers, excavators through to smaller units such as forklifts.

BGC claimed the biodiesel usage had the effect of reducing the company’s overall carbon emissions by approximately 2,575 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Mr Mullins said he could not specify why there had been a recent increase in interest in biodiesel from customers but speculated that rising usage in some states due to mandated targets had increased the confidence and familiarity with the product.

Gull retails a product called Gull Bio-D, which is a blend of its premium low-sulphur diesel with up to 20 per cent biodiesel. Most of the lubrication benefit is gained with just 2 per cent biodiesel while the 20 per cent blend offers a reduced carbon footprint and lower cost to users.