Hamilton’s rep gets greener with first Canadian biodiesel plant

HAMILTON, Ont. (June 11, 2004) — With smoke from steel factories climbing up the sky, the view of Hamilton Harbour from the QEW perhaps doesn’t show the city in the greenest light.

But yesterday’s announcement by Oakville, Ont.-based Biox Corp. to open up a $24 million biodiesel plant might help change Hamilton’s reputation of being one of Canada’s most notorious industrial polluters into a city that showcases leading environmentally-friendly technology.

Biodiesel is a non-toxic, animal or plant oil-based fuel that can increase diesel engine life while reducing emissions. It can be burned in any standard, unmodified diesel engine in pure form (B100) or in a blend with petroleum diesel with little or no modifications. However, in colder climates, a blend of either B50 or B20 (20 per cent biodiesel and 80 per cent petroleum diesel) is the most common form for commercial use in vehicles.

Using B20, a diesel engine is said to deliver similar torque, horsepower, and fuel economy as petroleum-powered diesels, yet cuts unburned hydrocarbon emissions, which cause greenhouses gases, by as much as 30 per cent. It does not reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, although biodiesel’s lack of sulphur allows the use of NOx controls that can’t be used with conventional diesel fuel.

Several Canadian municipalities have switched their utility fleets to biodiesel. As Today’s Trucking has reported in the past, both Toronto Hydro and the City of Brampton, Ont. use biodiesel in their fleets. And the City of Halifax recently announced it will pump a unique biodiesel blend in its trucks, consisting of 80 per-cent diesel fuel and 20 per-cent fish oil.

Yesterday, federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale announced a $5 million repayable grant to Biox from Sustainable Development Technology Canada. Biox officials say Hamilton was an obvious location for their first plant — which will produce 60 million litres per year. The plant is expected to increase North American biodiesel production capacity by 50 per cent, reports the Hamilton Spectator.

Biox president and CEO Tim Haig told the newspaper his company chose Hamilton because the city has one of the larger bulk storage locations for liquid bulk in North America, as well as an industrious port for moving liquids around.

The facility — which the Spectator reports will likely be on Pier 10 or 11 — is expected to create about 300 jobs, not including contracted services like transportation that will spin-off from the plant.

— with files from the Hamilton Spectator