Capital Equipment News June 2015

COMMENT

THE COLOUR of green

G reen Grass of Home was a popular hit tune for many years but today the significance of green should more aptly be, green is where the home is. Better described as eco-friendly, the new buzz-word covers a multitude of disciplines that affect our daily lives and unless we each start con- tributing to the concept in any way we can, there is a strong possibility that our offspring may not have a planet in which to survive. Being a magazine dedicated to equipment and trucks, it is appropriate that I devote something to the discipline that covers the trucking industry showing some of the steps which the industry has taken to lead us into those greener pastures we dream about. Many of the developed countries of the world are concerned about the safety and environ- mental impact of trucks and buses, according to surveys conducted by concerned institu- tions. The surveys identified that although most people realise that new trucks and buses are increasingly safer and more environmen- tally friendly, few are familiar with the safety and environmental technologies that feature in the latest generation of these vehicles. In analysing the results of these various sur- veys it was clear that the majority agreed that trucks and buses played an important role in the economy whilst only a small minority dis- agreed that trucks are the most efficient form of transport option for goods.

There were some concerns regarding the safety of trucks and buses and their environ- mental impact, particularly in built-up areas because they are seen as being essential to our standard of living. This is why there is unilateral support for the implementation of stricter measures regarding vehicles in the urban environment. There was a small mi- nority however who even believed that trucks should be banned completely from our cities. Impossible to implement so make sure that every truck used in built up areas conforms and provide each one with certification, recog- nisable by a special number plate or such like. Biofuels is the new buzz-word and South Afri- ca has already made some meaningful contri- butions towards the development of biodiesel technologies. In December 2007, the Depart- ment of Minerals and Energy announced the 5-year Industrial Biofuels strategy which was aimed at stimulating not only job creation but also development in rural areas of the country where crop management had been neglected. The objective was for a 2% penetration level of biofuels in the national liquid fuel supply which equates to 400 million litres per annum. To date, investments in biofuels in South Africa have been very modest to say the least when one considers that South Africa has much more to offer with its capacity to grow total plant biomass as well as producing sugarcane or sugarbeet streams for ethanol or sunflower,

canola and soya oil for biodiesel production.

It’s interesting to see how some manufactur- ers have already been pro-active in that area to stimulate the use of biofuels. Scania has embarked on a programme of offering sus- tainable solutions to the transport industry whereby they combine the sales of their vehi- cles with arranging a biofuel supplier contract as part of the deal. South Africa has currently more than 200 small entrepreneurs that produce biodiesel on a small scale, mostly from waste vegetable oils. Major concerns for these entrepreneurs at the moment, is feedstock uptake and meet- ing specification required by the petrochemi- cal industries. South Africa has the potential as a technology provider andnow is the time is to re-visit the current lack of development in the biofuels arena and capitalise on our resources and ex- pertise to move forward into the next century. Many manufacturers have produced vehicles to meet these challenges, all ready to meet the demands of the eco structure. All it now takes is for the man-in-the-street to come for- ward, be counted and do his bit.

Pierre Sanson

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2015 2