Rio Tinto conducts biofuel trial
Rio Tinto’s first renewable diesel trial has been completed across its Pilbara iron-ore operations.
Pilbara Operations, piles of iron ore at Cape Lambert, Australia.
© Rio TintoThe trial was conducted in partnership with renewable diesel producer Neste and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy.
Rio Tinto says the project has provided it with a greater understanding of how renewable diesel could be integrated across its Pilbara operations.
Neste allocated 10 million litres of renewable diesel from used cooking oil for the trial.
Rio Tinto reports that the fuel was shipped from Singapore to Rio Tinto’s Parker Point fuel terminal in Dampier by Viva Energy, and blended portside with fossil diesel to create a mix with about 20% renewable diesel.
It was then distributed across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron-ore operations for use in rail, marine, blasting, haul trucks, surface mining equipment and light vehicles.
The trial reportedly took place over four weeks in January and February of this year and provided an understanding of how renewable diesel use could be scaled up across Rio Tinto’s Australian operations in the future.
Rio Tinto reports that it reduced its Scope 1 emissions by about 27,000t of direct greenhouse gas emissions.
It is exploring the potential of biofuels as part of its ongoing efforts to achieve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.
Rio Tinto is also developing a Pongamia seed farm in North Queensland as part of a pilot to contribute to the growth of the Australian biofuels industry.
Rio Tinto, Managing Director, Rail, Port and Core Services, Richard Cohen, says, ‘Diesel makes up about 70% of the total carbon emissions from our Pilbara iron-ore operations. While electrification is the ultimate longer-term solution for repowering the majority of our fleet, we’re also exploring biofuels as a complementary and nearer-term solution.’
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