Hamburg airport in Germany has started using diesel fuels made from discarded and residue materials, according to the Finnish company Neste Oil Oyj, the supplier of the fuels. Neste says the fuels will be used in the airport’s diesel-powered ground fleet, and their use is seen by the airport authorities as a way “to significantly reduce” the facility’s carbon footprint.

Part of the airport’s ground fleet had already been powered by alternative energy sources, says Neste. The switch to renewables will now be completed with heavy-duty vehicles, such as aircraft tugs and fire-fighting vehicles, adopting the fuel. Neste says Hamburg Airport is “the first major international airport in the world to replace all fossil fuels with renewables in its entire diesel-powered ground fleet.”

“We are very pleased to support Hamburg Airport in its transformation towards becoming fossil-free,” says Neste's Kaisa Hietala, executive vice president of renewable products. “It is always a joy to see our fuel meet the high expectations with its convincing quality and performance.”

Neste describes the product being used in Hamburg as a “drop-in fuel” that can replace conventional fossil fuel diesel without any modifications to the existing diesel engines or investments in storage or logistical systems. The fuel is supplied with the brand name “C.A.R.E. Diesel” by Hamburg-based Neste customer Tool Fuel, a renewable fuel distributor.

“With the use of the innovative and environmentally friendly diesel we added an important building block to our mobility concept 2020,” says Michael Eggenschwiler, CEO of Hamburg Airport.

The diesel fuel produced by Neste is made with 100% renewable raw materials, says the firm, and resulted from research and development that focused on” very poor quality wastes and residues,” including waste animal fat. The company says it produces its renewable products from more than 10 different raw materials. Overall, nearly 80 percent of the company’s renewable products are based on waste and residues.