For profit on wheels,transport dept finds a green catalyst

The current rate of carbon credits is 12 Euro per CER,which means an earning of about Rs 3.5 crore every year.

The process involves upgrading around 7,000 buses and 350 diesel generator sets in the corporation’s fleet by using a catalyst.

The catalyst is Fitch Fuel — a special alloy — which is dropped in the fuel tank. It does not dissolve and will serve for 50,000 hours,the average life of an engine.

“The alloy will help increase combustion of fuel,ensuring usage of around 7 per cent fuel that is usually emitted from the exhaust. This,in turn,will reduce carbon dioxide emission by around 15 per cent,” said Prakash Chander,the Indian representative of

Advanced Power Systems International,Inc. — the company commissioned to execute the project.

The process of installing the catalyst will begin by the next month. The UPSRTC spends around Rs 600 crore on high speed diesel every year. “With this technology,they will be able to save around Rs 15 crore a year,” said AK Srivastava,CGO (Technical),UPSRTC. “We will save on fuel,which,in turn,will increase the efficiency of each bus. It will also reduce the pollution load.”

Besides,once the project takes off,there will be considerable earnings from the carbon credits from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,said Srivastava.

“We are expecting to earn around 34,000 carbon points after implementing the technology in 7,000 buses. If DG sets are also added,the carbon points will be around 45,000,” said Chander.

Presently,the cost of the project is being borne by Advanced Power Systems International,Inc. Once UPSRTC starts earning carbon points,the profit will be shared. The technology is functional in other sectors as well. After its implementation in Indian Railways,fuel savings of around 7 per cent were recorded. Similarly,in National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC),the fuel savings recorded were over 15 per cent in vehicles,DG-sets,compressors and buses,said Chander.