Denso has begun testing industrial heat pump air conditioners using biodiesel fuel at Denso headquarters in Kariya, Aichi, Japan. In the test, DENSO examines the system’s compatibility and durability when using biodiesel fuel, refined from cooking oil used at the company’s cafeterias, to power heat pump air conditioners. Denso estimates that a heat pump air conditioner using biodiesel fuel can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 90 percent compared to the company’s conventional kerosene heat pump air conditioner, currently marketed only in Japan.
CO2 emissions generated during the combustion of biodiesel fuel, originating from plants, can be offset by CO2 absorbed by plants through photosynthesis, and as a result the amount of CO2 released in the atmosphere is considered to be close to none. Denso aims to introduce biodiesel engine heat pump air conditioners for industrial use by 2010.
