Over 2,000 Shanghai Buses Now Run on Gutter Oil

By Bryan Grogan

Over 2,000 public buses around Shanghai began using B5 biodiesel to fuel their vehicles on Tuesday, according to Xinhua. This move builds on China’s ongoing mission to introduce more environmentally friendly biofuels as an alternative to traditional diesel or petroleum fuels.

Buses in Shanghai are expected to consume around 22,000 metric tons of B5 biodiesel this year, according to Gu Dechang of Shanghai Jiushi Bus Company.

Shanghai Bus Company first piloted the alternative green fuel back in 2013, with 70 vehicles running on B5 biodiesel. According to a report by the Telegraph, 2,000 trucks were using B5 biodiesel daily, while 130,000 vehicles had been supplied with the green fuel by Sinopec, as of June 2018.

Made from recycled cooking oil, B5 biodiesel is said to reduce the emission of pollutants. The fuel is made with 5% oil that has been discarded after cooking or found in sewer pipes and 95% petroleum diesel. The fuel can cut the emissions of heavy metals and fine particles by 10%.

While B5 biodiesel is becoming a priority in China, the government is also trying to introduce other alternative fuels like E10, a blend of 10% ethanol with gasoline.

According to figures on Statista, the US was the largest producer of biofuels in the world in 2017, making 6 billion liters, while China lagged behind with just 1 billion liters of biofuel produced.

READ MORE: Shenzhen Is Now Almost Fully Serviced by E-Taxis

[Cover image via Unsplash]

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