Are there alternatives to diesel for tractors?

2024-02-25 10:08:14

Are there alternatives to diesel for tractors?

Willi the farmer*

Currently, there is much discussion about the possibility of replacing agricultural diesel with alternative fuels or propulsions. No, it’s not about the horse, but for example vegetable oil, hydrogen or electric drives. A report from Bavarian radio is worth reading on this subject.

Regarding the electric tractor, a remarkable statement: “The big difficulty is finding the necessary power,” explains Christoph Gröblinghoff, Chairman of the Board of Management of Fendt: for a 300 hp tractor, we need a battery of around 15 tons . »

Hydrogen is a possible option, but the infrastructure is still lacking. A quicker solution to implement would be the use of vegetable oils. One of the critical points is competition with food products. But this competition already existed before the introduction of the tractor. In pre-industrial times, fodder was produced for draft horses (or oxen). With a consumption of around 3,300 liters of diesel per year and a rapeseed yield of 40 quintals with an oil content of around 40%, 2 hectares of rapeseed would be enough on our farm to ensure mobility in the fields.

For my VW Touran I need 5.5 l per 100 km. For an annual mileage of 10,000 km, this represents approximately 550 liters of diesel or rapeseed oil. One hectare of rapeseed would be enough for around 30,000 km.

And then there is heating: with 3 hectares of rapeseed, we could replace around 5,000 liters of fuel oil. Without impact on the climate, because the plants have already absorbed the CO2 resulting from combustion. The technology and infrastructure for burning vegetable oil is known and affordable.

What are the objections? Yes, technically vegetable oil is not easy to use in today’s modern engines. But with German engineering and some technological openness, the problems can be solved.

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* Source : Are there alternatives to diesel in tractors? – Farmer Willi

My note: “No, it’s not about the horse…”? In Germany perhaps. In France, at INRAE…

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