Finland-headed dairy major Valio Oy is taking the next step towards environmentally friendly transportation solutions. Valio’s first biogas distribution truck took to the Helsinki region’s roads in September."Our goal is to create a perfect circulation where we can use all the side flows of food production biogas. That’s what a circular economy is at its best," says Valio logistics manager Mika Jyrkönen.
Over the years, Valio has tested equipment that runs on various environmentally-friendly fuels. The idea to use a biogas truck traces its roots back to circular economy ideas within the organisation, being able to recycle the waste created in milk production.
We want to try out new, environmentally friendly fuels. One of the raw materials for the biogas is, among others, side streams from Valio dairies – waste that cannot be used as food. Anything that decomposes and is biodegradable is suitable as a raw material for biogas. Our goal is to create a perfect circulation where we can use all the side flows of food production effectively. That’s what a circular economy is at its best, said Valio’s Logistics Manager Mika Jyrkönen.
Valio participates in biogas production by providing Finnish energy company Gasum Oy with, among others, its production residue. Instead of it being deposited at a landfill or burned, biogas plants use the residue as feedstock in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process to produce biogas which is then upgraded to biomethane that can be used as a domestically produced transportation fuel.
It’s great that Finland’s top dairy company can make use of its own waste and therefore reduce its own emissions. Biogas is financially competitive in comparison to other biofuels. Roughly 40 percent of Finland’s traffic emissions come from heavy transportation, which is why it is under pressure to reduce those emissions, said Juha-Matti Koskinen, Sales Manager at Gasum.
Efficient logistics translates into reduced emissions
Valio’s new biogas distribution truck is a step towards low-emission milk transportation supporting Finnish government and EU goals on increasing the volume of gas-fueled cars (NGVs) and emissions reduction.
One central EU goal is that, by 2025, emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) should be 15 percent lower compared to 2019 levels. Biogas in transportation can help reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the fuel’s lifecycle by up to 85 percent.
Valio’s first biogas distribution truck delivers products from the Helsinki Main Warehouse to stores in the Helsinki region. The Helsinki region was picked as the first usage area thanks to its good gas distribution network.
Distribution route efficiency is important to Valio, which is why gas station locations must be taken into account in planning the biogas truck’s routes. Efficient logistics translates into reduced emissions.
We have high expectations of biogas in transportation use. In the beginning, we want to test the operational reliability and the costs of a biogas distribution truck. Our findings will show how we move forward. We don’t want to end our experiments here, and we plan to test a milk collection truck that runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Some Valio staff are already using biogas cars as company cars for a while now, said Mika Jyrkönen.
