Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities
North American rail is unlikely to be electrified in the near term. Although strategies such as improving fuel efficiency, enhanced logistics, etc., are already being pursued, the primary way to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the rail sector will be through the use of low-CI fuels such as bio/r...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223001069 |
| _version_ | 1797676237101989888 |
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| author | Mohsen Mandegari Mahmood Ebadian Jack (John) Saddler |
| author_facet | Mohsen Mandegari Mahmood Ebadian Jack (John) Saddler |
| author_sort | Mohsen Mandegari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | North American rail is unlikely to be electrified in the near term. Although strategies such as improving fuel efficiency, enhanced logistics, etc., are already being pursued, the primary way to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the rail sector will be through the use of low-CI fuels such as bio/renewable diesel. Alternatives such as battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cells are still evolving and, while liquid/compressed natural gas (LNG/CNG) can be used as “transition (lower-CI) fuels”, they are not drop-in, requiring considerable investment in engines and infrastructure. By contrast, bio-based diesels are low-carbon solutions that can be readily deployed to reduce rail associated GHG emissions. However, the high price of bio-based diesels, competition with other modes of transport (e.g., trucking), and the lack of “enabling” policies have limited bio/renewable diesel use by the rail sector. Canada’s current biodiesel production could supply 40% of Canada’s rail sector fuel needs, reducing its GHGs by about 34%. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:26:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9e15ff64991346bab26a11a5217f2996 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-1982 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:26:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
| spelling | doaj.art-9e15ff64991346bab26a11a5217f29962023-09-24T05:16:39ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822023-09-0121100859Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunitiesMohsen Mandegari0Mahmood Ebadian1Jack (John) Saddler2Biofuels/Bioenergy Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, CanadaBiofuels/Bioenergy Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, CanadaCorresponding author.; Biofuels/Bioenergy Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, CanadaNorth American rail is unlikely to be electrified in the near term. Although strategies such as improving fuel efficiency, enhanced logistics, etc., are already being pursued, the primary way to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the rail sector will be through the use of low-CI fuels such as bio/renewable diesel. Alternatives such as battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cells are still evolving and, while liquid/compressed natural gas (LNG/CNG) can be used as “transition (lower-CI) fuels”, they are not drop-in, requiring considerable investment in engines and infrastructure. By contrast, bio-based diesels are low-carbon solutions that can be readily deployed to reduce rail associated GHG emissions. However, the high price of bio-based diesels, competition with other modes of transport (e.g., trucking), and the lack of “enabling” policies have limited bio/renewable diesel use by the rail sector. Canada’s current biodiesel production could supply 40% of Canada’s rail sector fuel needs, reducing its GHGs by about 34%.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223001069BiofuelsDecarbonising railBiodieselBattery-electricLow carbon intensity fuels |
| spellingShingle | Mohsen Mandegari Mahmood Ebadian Jack (John) Saddler Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives Biofuels Decarbonising rail Biodiesel Battery-electric Low carbon intensity fuels |
| title | Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities |
| title_full | Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities |
| title_short | Decarbonizing North America’s rail sector, international initiatives and local opportunities |
| title_sort | decarbonizing north america s rail sector international initiatives and local opportunities |
| topic | Biofuels Decarbonising rail Biodiesel Battery-electric Low carbon intensity fuels |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223001069 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohsenmandegari decarbonizingnorthamericasrailsectorinternationalinitiativesandlocalopportunities AT mahmoodebadian decarbonizingnorthamericasrailsectorinternationalinitiativesandlocalopportunities AT jackjohnsaddler decarbonizingnorthamericasrailsectorinternationalinitiativesandlocalopportunities |