GULEPH, ONTARIO, CANADA - Rothsay Biodiesel, a division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., said that its program to fuel its own fleets with biodiesel blends reduced carbon output by approximately 700 metric tons in 2009 -- the equivalent to removing approximately 130 cars from the road. 

Three of Rothsay's truck fleets have been fueled with biodiesel blends since 2009, bringing the total number of trucks in the fleet program to 137. In 2009, the fleets consumed more than 600,000 gallons at an average blend rate of 9.2 percent. They traveled a combined 3.3 million miles with no mechanical issues or decrease in mileage, Biodiesel Magazine reported. 

Rothsay biodiesel is a renewable fuel made by converting animal fats and recycled cooking oils into an environmentally sustainable alternative fuel that reduces greenhouse gases (GHG). The fuel can be used in all diesel engines today without modification. 

Because of the fuel's success, Maple Leaf Foods plans to expand its biodiesel use, Mike Paszti, director of technical services and innovation for Rothsay, told Biodiesel Magazine. Use of the fuel has had no measurable impact on vehicle maintenance programs, reliability or performance. 

"Rothsay's on-road fleet experience is proof of the positive benefits of blending biodiesel in Canada," said Canadian Renewable Fuels Association Chair Doug Hooper. "In everyday use and all weather conditions, Rothsay's biodiesel delivered top performance and, importantly, reduced the harmful greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and smog that is associated with fossil diesel use."