Buses on Carris line 794, which run between Gare do Oriente and Terreiro do Paço, passing through the Beato Creative Hub, started using fuel produced from used cooking oil this week.
Between Gare do Oriente and Terreiro do Paço, there are now a bus route running on biodiesel, a fuel produced from used cooking oil. The use of this cleaner energy in the career 794 is the result of a pilot project between Carris and the fuel company Prio, and is part of the Beato Living Lab project.
The fuel used in the 794 buses is produced from from cooking oil used in kitchens. These oils are collected from various places, namely schools in the eastern part of Lisbon, and are then sent to Prio's Production Center in Ílhavo to be transformed into fuel. The product that Carris is using is marketed by Prio to other professional clients. According to the company, this biodiesel "does not contain any fossil sources in its composition"is a "alternative to traditional fuels" and can be "purchased according to the decarbonization needs of each client". The biodiesel that Carris is using is the ZERO B100 diesel, "a high quality fuel, 100% biodegradable" e "allows up to 84% of CO2 into the atmosphere".
According to Carris, the route 794 was chosen to test this biodiesel because it has high visibility, linking two of the city's interchanges, Gare do Oriente and Sul e Sueste Station, in Terreiro do Paço. In addition, it passes several schools involved in the collection of used cooking oil, and serves the Beato Creative Hub, one of the symbols of innovation in Lisbon and where the initiative is being developed. Beato Living Lab.
Co-financed by the program EEA Grants, o Beato Living Lab is a space for experimentation and validation of new technologies, services and solutions that contribute to the "developing more sustainable, resilient, inclusive, people-centered cities with a better quality of life". It is within the Beato Creative Hub and integrates several projects, including this one by Blessed Biobus, which is now running on the 794 route.
"We have a project that unites several critical points in promoting a better environment, starting with an environmental education campaign that involves thousands of schoolchildren in eastern Lisbon, promotes waste recycling, helps save water resources, reduces CO2 and contributes to Lisbon being effectively carbon neutral by 2030″points out Pedro Bogas, President of Carris, in a note about the Blessed Biobus.
The buses allocated to the 794 are some of the oldest in the transport company's fleet, so the use of this fuel as an alternative to normal diesel could be an asset in Carris' decarbonization goals. The municipal company has been acquiring new vehicles powered by electricity or natural gas to replace the older vehicles in circulation.
With this action, Carris and Prio intend to contribute to the remission reduction of around 400 tons of CO2 per year, promote the recycling of waste and reduce the import of energy resources. O Blessed Biobus In addition to Carris and Prio, it brings together Startup Lisboa, Lisboa E-Nova and Lisbon City Council. This is not the first time that Carris has fueled one of its routes with biodiesel from Prio. The same fuel had already been used for several years in the 702 careerbetween Marquês de Pombal and Serafina.
