Fueling the Move to Sustainability

Caterpillar’s long-standing commitment to sustainability has meant it has always looked to support its customers in finding ways to meet their targets for a lower-carbon future.  

“We are focused on developing our products and services to help our customers transition to a low-carbon economy and fulfill our company’s purpose to help build and power a better and more sustainable world,” explains Steve Ferguson, Vice President,  Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems. 

So, when Sandvik, a commercial and industrial equipment supplier providing leading solutions for the mining, quarrying, and construction industries, wanted to become an even more sustainable business and reduce their carbon footprint further by investing in HVO as a renewable fuel, they turned to Cat^® dealer Finning UK and Ireland for help.

HVO is a form of renewable synthetic diesel produced from certified waste fats and oils through hydro-processing. Its performance is similar to regular diesel but reduces the carbon footprint associated with operating the engine and can lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) under certain conditions. In addition, its chemical similarity to diesel means that the machine’s power output and uptime are not compromised when introducing HVO as an alternative. It can also be blended with diesel.

“Our Cat dealer Finning offered its expertise throughout the project, sharing its extensive knowledge on engines and fuels to provide Sandvik with all the information it needed,” continued Steve. “Our Cat C Series engines give customers the flexibility to use HVO as both a replacement and addition to their conventional diesel fuel, depending on their requirements.”

Jesper Persson, Vice President of Life Cycle Services at Sandvik Mobiles, explains, “We are committed to using engineering and innovation through all our operations to make the shift towards more sustainable business. With a host of innovations in the pipeline, including the electrification of our offering, we are excited to be pioneers in the industry and invest in renewable fuel sources and sustainable rock processing solutions.”

And the results are impressive.

Sandvik has completed testing on their range of machines to confirm that they can operate with HVO without modifying the engines or fuel tanks. This helps Sandvik and its customers to reduce net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional diesel.