Fundamentals of using bio-diesel for operating large fleets of mining equipment and building machines and the experience gained so far

摘要

Against the topical background of the finite reserves of fossil mineral oil as well as internationally available vegetable fat and oil resources, of the current developments in the field of the bio-diesel production technology and of the international conditions for the reduction of CO, emissions, this paper is to examine, whether the suitability of bio-diesel for fuelling mining equipment has come true. The examination will focus on the biogenic fuel profile, on the organizational necessity to actively retrofit the machinery during operations as well as on the precise verification of the expected technical conversion problems and of the saving potentials actually achieved. The examination will be conducted in the world's first open-cast mine that has converted its entire fleet of equipment to be fuelled with bio-diesel. The open-cast mine is operated by the Ronneburg branch of Wis-mut GmbH, a company based in Germany (referred to hereinafter as the Lichtenberg open-cast mine).