In a groundbreaking collaboration, Holcim, Scania and HYDI have joined forces to decarbonise the logistics chain in Australia’s vast and remote Pilbara region.
This partnership aims to reduce emissions and fuel consumption in the transportation of quarry materials across the region’s vast red landscapes, twice the size of Great Britain.
Holcim Australia, a leading building materials company, relies on Scania’s R620 V8 Euro 5 145-tonne rated prime movers to transport quarry materials from the Turner River, Newman, and Nickol Bay quarries to concrete batch plants and other customers.
These road trains, pulling payloads of up to 100 tonnes in triple-trailer configurations, traverse distances ranging from 10 km to 600 km.
To advance Holcim’s ambition to reduce Scope 3 emissions, two prime movers were retrofitted with HYDI’s Hydrogen on Demand HY2500 vertical unit, which produces hydrogen on demand for controlled delivery to internal combustion engines.
“On top of the fuel consumption figures, excitingly, we’re seeing the additional emission reductions,” said Adam Evans, Logistics Manager for Aggregates Western Australia at Holcim.
Holcim has seen reductions in fuel consumption of up to 15 per cent, along with a 17 per cent decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, an 80 per cent reduction in diesel particulate matter (DPM), a 22 per cent lower nitrogen oxide (NOX), and a 25 per cent lower carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
Encouraged by the success, Holcim plans to install HYDI systems in two additional prime movers and explore options for its contractor fleet and other equipment, including diesel generators and heavy mining equipment.
“We are also exploring options to have HYDI units installed on other equipment including diesel generators and heavy mining equipment,” said Adam Evans.
HYDI’s Hydrogen on Demand system produces hydrogen from distilled water using electrolysis via a proton exchange membrane.
The unit draws a low electrical input from the host engine while in operation, supplementing the diesel fuel to create a cleaner and more complete combustion process.
Developed in Australia over more than a decade, this leading-edge technology delivers improved machinery performance, reduced fuel consumption, cleaner burn, extended oil and filter service intervals, and lower harmful emissions — including DPM, CO2, and CO.
“HYDI’s technology harnesses the benefits of hydrogen in an efficient, affordable and sophisticated way scaled to apply to multiple applications,” noted John Wilson, Managing Director of HYDI.
Scania, a committed partner in the trial, has been enthusiastic about supporting the project, providing vehicle and system information for smooth installation and expressing eagerness to extend the project further.
“Scania stepped up to the project, made sure we had all the vehicle and system information needed for a smooth installation of the HYDI units and is eager to help us extend the project even further,” said Adam Evans.
Robert Taylor, Scania Australia’s General Manager, Mining, acknowledged the potential of HYDI’s solution, stating: “The reductions in fuel burn and emissions are entirely in line with our aim to reduce emissions during the entire working lives of our products.
“As a result, the HYDI Hydrogen on Demand solution does appear to be providing a real-world and affordable solution for our customers who want or need to make an immediate reduction in fuel burn and their carbon footprint emissions across their transport functions.”
Taylor also stated: “The reductions in fuel burn and emissions are entirely in line with our aim to reduce emissions during the entire working lives of our products.”
This investment and installation of leading-edge transitional technology into Holcim’s fleet further highlights the company’s commitment to reducing its Scope 3 emissions on its journey to reducing absolute Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 90 per cent by 2050 from a 2020 base year.
