The Brenner Corridor is the first zero-emission corridor in Europe

When will it be possible to see zero-emission trucks driving on our roads? The answer is today!

Thanks to the collaboration of Gruber Logistics, APS Fuel and HAM, Europe’s first zero-emission green corridor has been launched. A project that aims to use biomasses for the production of fuel and to fully certify the chain from production to use. The new plant has inaugurated on June 28, 2021 and has the peculiarity to foresee a specific tank and refueling station for Bio lng.

Liquid methane is now a consolidated reality in the panorama of alternative fuels. The great advantage of methane is the elimination of particulate matter and the significant reduction of emissions compared to diesel. Today, however, it is also possible to obtain liquid biomethane from biomass, which completely eliminates CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The new fuel, called liquid bio-methane, is slowly gaining ground in Europe but there are still no solutions that can fully guarantee the traceability of the bio-molecule. The plants at infrastructure level mix methane of fossil origin with bio-methane.

The company APS Fuel (Autoporto Sadobre) has therefore equipped itself with a special infrastructure for the distribution of biofuel, which keeps the fossil fuel separate from the biofuel. Roberto Padovani, owner of the service station, emphasizes the uniqueness of the facility.  “Until now, BIO-gas has been fed into the grid with normal methane and then liquefied or brought to gas stations and mixed with fossil fuel. By creating an ad hoc storage facility, we are the only station in Europe that can preserve the purity of the biofuel, and by the end of 2021 we will further expand the facility with a hydrogen dispenser.”

Riccardo Piccolo of HAM, the company that provides the liquid bio-methane, highlights that it is not only a fuel capable of reducing emissions by 95% compared to diesel but also avoids CO2 emissions that would come from agricultural production waste, making it an emission-free fuel.

The project was immediately supported by Martin Gruber, Managing Director of the logistics and transport company GRUBER Logistics , “Many people ask when we can talk about emission-free transport. Our answer is today! The future we envision is one in which multiple low-emission fuels are used, including in combined transport. Today we are setting a new benchmark for the entire transport sector in Europe.”

IVECO and Electrolux have also been present at the inauguration of the plant: two companies that were the first to join this initiative and put the goal of zero emissions at the heart of their logistics chain.

In particular, Electrolux was the first company benefitting from the service “Electrolux, as a Sustainability Leader in the appliance industry, has far-reaching ambitions to reduce its climate impact. Acting sustainable is one of our strategic drivers and decreasing emissions in transportation is one of our key priorities towards our commitment to become carbon neutral in our operations by 2030. Therefore, we are proud of participating in such an important initiative that will enable a cleaner transportation in Europe” highlighted Marcelo Marcal, Director Purchasing Logistics at Electrolux.