Clean CET tanks directly support decarbonisation programmes across the rail network
.In June 2019 the government passed a law which calls for the UK economy to achieve “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in response to the most compelling environmental challenge of our time – climate change.
In March 2020 the Department for Transport released its paper ‘Decarbonising Transport: Setting the Challenge’ outlining how it will develop a ‘Transport Decarbonisation Plan’ in order for the transport sector to achieve this. The plan includes the dedicated investments the government will make into low carbon technologies, improving infrastructure and rolling stock. The plan acknowledges that changes to support decarbonisation will be required to happen at an accelerated pace to meet the 2050 deadline.
In 2016, transport became the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gases following large and successful efforts to decrease emissions from other high-emitting sectors - including energy supply, business and residential.
Within transport, rail is a relatively low-carbon form of transport. In 2018, emissions from rail made up just 1.4% of the UK’s domestic transport emissions with over 10% of passenger miles travelled by rail. To this end the government are focusing on moving even more passengers away from the major polluting modes of transport towards rail, and so along with making low carbon choices to rolling stock and infrastructure, rail needs to be an attractive option for more people.
Despite the low contribution rail makes to emissions, the challenge to decarbonise quickly is pretty huge. The obvious and possibly most challenging task is the switch to electric trains – the Department for Transport has challenged the rail industry to have removed all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040 in England and Wales. But what other changes can we make in the move to net zero?
Let’s focus on CET tanks. Left unattended over time, deposits harden and turn to scale, smells accumulate and the systems become a health and environmental hazard. With the rise of COVID-19, and the massive hit the rail industry has taken due to lost ticket revenue, we know that CET tank cleaning has been pushed down the priority list. However COVID-19 has not halted the progress of the government’s decarbonisation plan. With some airlines looking to reduce the number of internal short haul flights they offer over the next few years, rail decarbonisation is still very much a priority.
So how is CET tank cleaning relevant to decarbonisation?
Clean CET tanks are essential to continued train operation. A high percentage of breakdowns are due to the washroom facilities being out of order. Continued train operation is essential for maintaining the attractiveness of rail as an alternative, lower-carbon mode of transport. But did you know, CET cleaning can also be carried out with our very low-carbon technologies? This means there’s no requirement to use hazardous chemicals in the cleaning processes, and subsequently there is a reduced waste chain and compliance process – all of which support the decarbonisation plan. We use VOC-reduced cleaners – based on low-carbon biotechnology – to thoroughly clean inside CET tanks and pipework with very little environmental impact.
Clean CET tanks also support steps to decarbonisation in terms of energy efficiency. Regularly cleaned, flushed and emptied tanks mean a lighter vehicle mass and therefore less fuel used – whether that’s diesel, electric or hydrogen. Our mobile CET cleaning service also supports reduced carbon emissions from railway estate, with fewer depot visits required and perhaps long term fewer depot facilities needed.