Propane, like every energy source, is evolving to meet the goal of increasingly cleaner energy. Although already a clean energy source, propane innovation continues.
“Propane is the leading energy source for 90% of Class 4 and 5 internal combustion engine forklifts,” explains Matt McDonald, the director of off-road business development at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). “It’s an easy-to-use, clean, energy source that does not require its own infrastructure and so can be used for multiple shifts, as well as indoor and outside.”
And, McDonald points out, this energy source is affordable. He says it will continue to be affordable even with an uptick in higher prices. Additionally, it is abundant. More than 70% of the propane production comes from natural gas and the U.S. produces enough of its own propane to exceed customer demand.
Although a low emission energy source, there is of course always room for improvement. One of the industry’s improvements was recently introduced at this year’s ProMat by Tecogen, a 35-year old company, that manufactures cogeneration products using technology that reduces carbon footprint. Co-presenting with McDonald at ProMat, the company spoke about recent improvements it has made to further improve the carbon footprint.
Tecogen is using Ultera technology to achieve near-zero-emission with an internal combustion engine. Ultera reduces criteria pollutants of NOx, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. “The new technology developed by Tecogen works like a catalytic converter does on your car,” explains McDonald. While the company had produced this technology to help large backup generation systems that could power hospitals in power outages, PERC worked with them to downsize the unit so that it could be retrofitted onto a forklift. “We wanted to find ways to get forklifts emissions to be at almost zero,” says McDonald. This technology represents emission control strategies that could be implemented on existing forklifts as a retrofit solution or used by manufacturers on new forklifts.
Looking specifically at indoor air quality Tecogen’s catalyst system can help forklift facilities meet strict indoor air quality standards with the goal of significantly improving indoor air quality. Tecogen also plans to be the first to be certified by California’s to its off-road “Optional Low Emission Standard” (OLES or near-zero). “Awareness is a critical element when it comes to keeping crews healthy on the job site, especially with regard to CO safety and indoor air quality,” said Matt McDonald, in a statement on Earth Day 2021. “Professionals throughout the supply chain industry are working to decrease emissions and achieve a more sustainable operation — and Earth Day brings a heightened awareness to these efforts. For material handling professionals, this often means taking a closer look at the equipment and energy sources used to move products day in and day out.”
McDonald refers to findings from a study conducted by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and the Nexight Group, which analyzed the comparative emissions of propane in key markets, including forklifts, examining full-fuel-cycle energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, hydrocarbons, and criteria pollutant emissions including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur oxide (SOx). The study showed that:
- Propane reduces SOx emissions by up to 76% compared with electric forklifts.
- Propane produces 97% fewer NOx emissions compared with diesel forklifts.
- Propane produces 97% fewer hydrocarbon emissions compared with diesel forklifts.
The comparison to electric energy is one that has moved to center stage as public policy is steering towards higher usage of this energy. McDonald says that in order to compare propane to electricity, there needs to be an analysis of all of the various aspects of using electric power. His organization says that when the upstream emissions of electric power, which comes from the generation of electricity, is taken into account propane has lower emissions than electric power. There is also the issue of infrastructure which must be built at a facility to enable electric forklifts for example. And companies need to factor in time spent charging batteries when determining the needs of a multi-shift facility and change- over times.
Partially in answer to the challenge from electricity, there is a movement to produce propane from renewable sources. Such sources would include a mix of waste residues and sustainably sourced materials including agricultural waste products, cooking oil, and meat fats. The National Renewable Energy Lab says the potential demand for renewable propane in Calif alone could surpass 200 million gallons a year by 2030. “While this energy source is not yet being used in forklifts, I do see more interest,” explains McDonald. “As propane continues to get “greener” we hope to expand this fuel source throughout the supply chain.”
