Greener turfcare

In a quest to improve the environment, our industry must look at becoming cleaner, quieter and safer. We investigate eFuels and becoming CO2 emission-free through the use of lithium battery technology.

Climate change is having a noticeable and growing impact on sports turf management across the globe!

1. eFuels

The quest for net zero is filtering through ever more facets of business and personal life. Shorter term impacts on that mission may upset the journey temporarily, but those developing fuels of the future are taking the longer view. 

Developing fuels of the future is a complex mix of energy efficiency, engine tolerance and sustainability.

Some of the major machinery and equipment players in the groundcare sectors have set out their criteria for advancing to net zero and take a worldview of its benefits for planetary health.

Ultra pure petrol, with little if any of the chemicals harmful to operators and machinery, is gaining ground in the UK. Diesel may have become almost a dirty word in some quarters but biofuels fashioned from vegetable waste, tailored to powering modified diesel engines, have been available for some time too.

It’s the world of electro fuels - efuels - that’s bubbling under, waiting for a kick start into commerciality across the board, that producers and partners globally are getting excited about.

Such like-minded advocates of ‘tomorrow’s technology’ are already assembled under the E-Fuels Alliance (EFA), a Hamburg-based interest group ‘focused on advancing the production and acceptance of synthetic carbon neutral fuels from renewable energy sources’.

Such fuels are “environmentally and climate friendly”, the EFA states, made as they are using electricity from renewable sources, water and ambient captured CO2. “Easy and versatile, they can replace conventional liquid and gaseous alternatives and, critically, can be used in all vehicles and heating systems powered by liquid or gaseous carriers.”

Efuels do not release additional CO2 when consumed “but are climate neutral in their use phase”. Compatible with current internal combustion engines, efuels can power everything from vehicles, machinery and equipment to aircraft and ships. “Existing transport, distribution and fuel/gas infrastructures can all continue to be used,” the Alliance adds.

April’s news that 40% of global energy was generated from renewable sources would seem to signal the doorway to an efuels future is opening wider, and comes on top of earlier figures revealing a 23.2% share of renewables in global electricity generation in what is steady growth trends.

The Alliance numbers such power players as Stihl, Husqvarna, Kubota and Bosch in its ranks – committed to developing sustainability in-house, while helping their operator customer base seek it with the help of tools, equipment and machinery to mitigate climatic change.

The EFA promotes the advantages of efuels to policymakers, the public, academia and the media. Backing the green energy transition, it advocates “technology openness, a clean hydrogen economy and scale-up of efuel production”.

As Stihl states: “Sustainability remains our compass, even in difficult times.” Globally, we’re in such times now, many would argue, but scaling up efuel production in part depends on governmental backing, and that appears to be lacking in Britain currently, one fuel producer told Pitchcare, with the focus firmly on an electric future.

That said, Stihl put in place a sustainability policy back in 2016, from which it has created its sustainability strategy, including a 2021 report that identified four key environmental aspects it would address:

• Climate change mitigation
• Circular economy and materials management
• Avoiding environmental pollution
• Protecting biodiversity

The larger the player, the more expansive the mission to act to protect Earth’s wellbeing it seems, and fuels play a pivotal part in the corporate playbook.

By 2030, Stihl for example aims to cut fossil fuel (natural gas and oil) consumption by 40% across the group, compared with 2019, with one of its far-reaching projects being ‘climate neutrality’.

The importance of fuels in moving to a net zero position can be judged by startling statistics from Dr Andreas Rigling, forest ecologist and professor of forest growth and global change at ETH Zurich public university.

“Forests absorb two billion tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere and the soil every year,” he reports. “About 50% of that is stored in the biomass in the forest soil.”

Continued deforestation around the world threatens those carbon sequestration statistics, creating greater urgency in moving to carbon neutral technology.

The range of alternative power sources to traditional petrol and diesel is extensive – biofuel, ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, coal-derived options, electricity, natural gas, propane and synthetic transportation fuel.

Of these, only hydrogen is the simplest, most basic renewable fuel generated by electrolysis and is carbon free, offering potentially the lowest emissions from the combustion process – one reason why so much attention is devoted to exploring the feasibility and economics of large scale production.

Global manufacturer Kubota has already dived deep into hydrogen-based technology. Another player tying its colours to the climate neutral, sustainable future mast, it has joined the Allianz Hydrogen Engine group, while developing its 3.8l 85 kW hydrogen engine, which eliminates CO2 emissions, it says.

Meanwhile, all Kubota engines, including stage V models, can burn non-fossil, paraffin-based options complying with European standard EN 15940, including gas to liquid and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

Efuel technology has sprung up in Britain with the commissioning of a demonstration plant in Bicester by Zero Petroleum, founded and headed by former Formula 1 executive Patrick Lowe.

Already attracting investors, Zero operates with purely private funding, generating fuel from hydrogen and CO2.

One of its backers is Anglo American Oil Company (AAOC) which already distributes Aspen alkylate fuel - gaining ground with the turfcare sector because of its extremely low benzene, olefin and aromatics content, chemicals known to harm health, and zero ethanol, an alcohol that can age engines prematurely.

“When we met up with Paddy Lowe, soon after he had founded Zero Petroleum, it was obvious to us that his vision of how to keep ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) engines alive was one that was very exciting,” says AAOC managing director Anders Hildebrand. “So exciting in fact that we decided to invest in the company.”

“Paddy has done a great job in attracting new investors and in building a prototype plant in Bicester that is now producing eFuels from hydrogen and CO2.”

He questions the policy of wholesale support for electric vehicle development, although the government recently relaxed tight targets imposed on the auto industry for the switch to EV in light of President Donald Trump’s tariff impositions.

“Despite this amazing technology, the UK government has decided to put all their eggs in the EV basket,” Anders adds, “meaning vehicles still in good working order are retired prematurely.”

“This is bonkers, because the vehicles can be fuelled by a true carbon neutral fuel instead. It’s a reflection of the throwaway society that modern economics promote,” he argues.

“If the UK government had supported this new technology with development grants, Zero Petroleum for example, would have been up and producing considerable amounts of efuel that could have been blended into current road fuels.”

• “Even more astonishing is that efuels attract the same amount of petrol tax (£0.5295 per litre) as standard pump fuels, while EV vehicles are heavily subsidised even though they wear the roads harder due to their increased weight.”

Effects of climate change on sports turf

1. Temperature extremes

• Hotter summers stress cool-season grasses (like Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass), leading to turf thinning or death.
• Warmer winters can disrupt dormancy, leaving turf vulnerable to diseases and pests.

2.  Increased rainfall and flooding

• Heavy downpours cause waterlogging, compaction and erosion, making fields unplayable.
• Poor drainage can lead to root rot and fungal diseases.

3. Drought conditions

• More frequent droughts stress turf and reduce recovery time after use.
• Water restrictions make irrigation challenging, especially for large fields.

4. New pests and diseases

• Warmer climates allow pests and diseases to spread into new regions, increasing the need for pest control and potentially more chemical use.

5. CO₂ increase

• Higher CO₂ can increase growth in some turf species, but also may promote weed growth, altering the turfgrass ecosystem.

Adaptation Strategies

1. Switching grass types

·         Transitioning to more drought- and heat-tolerant species.

·         Using genetically modified or hybrid varieties for resilience.

2. Improved irrigation

•  Installing smart irrigation systems that respond to soil moisture and weather conditions.
• Harvesting rainwater and recycling greywater for irrigation.

3. Soil management

• Enhancing soil structure with organic amendments to improve water retention and drainage.
• Aeration and topdressing to combat compaction.

4. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Monitoring and early intervention strategies to manage pests without over-relying on chemicals.

5. Sustainable practices

• Reducing mowing frequency and focusing on sustainability.
• Exploring carbon sequestration in turfgrass systems.

2. Battery-powered equipment

Despite the widespread introduction of clean air zones in cities across the UK, new research obtained through Freedom of Information requests shows that high-polluting petrol-powered tools are still predominantly used in many of these areas, compromising clean air commitments.

Local authorities including Birmingham City Council and several London boroughs are still operating 100% petrol-powered tools within their clean air zones – at a time when cars are under increased scrutiny where emissions are concerned. The widespread use of petrol-powered tools can compromise air quality in these areas, producing emissions comparable with some cars.

Petrol-powered tools – such as leaf blowers and hedge trimmers – are known to be just as, if not more, harmful to people and the environment. Emissions testing carried out by EGO Power+ and Millbrook found that some petrol-powered gardening tools are capable of emitting eleven times more carbon monoxide and four times more nitrogen oxide than a Ford Fiesta.

Research findings carried out by EGO Power+

While the majority of tools being operated by local authorities are still petrol-powered, some councils are progressing towards a cleaner, greener future with the adoption of battery-powered tools.

London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is leading the way in its use of battery-powered outdoor equipment, accounting for 100% of its tools. Councils in Sheffield and London Brent are also making promising strides, with battery-powered equipment now accounting for 85% and 90% of tools respectively.

“The sustainability challenge is something that faces every local authority across the UK, and the removal of highly-polluting outdoor power equipment has a role to play,” says Vince Brauns, Product Director at EGO Power+. “By focusing our research on councils who have made clear commitments to sustainability through clean air zones, we were keen to understand if councils have recognised the negative impact of petrol-powered tools, and how much progress has been made on their journeys towards a greener, battery-powered future.”

“While it’s encouraging to see a handful of councils have fully adopted battery power to maintain outdoor spaces, others still have a journey ahead of them. Birmingham City Council for instance still uses 100% petrol-power to maintain areas within the city’s Clean Air Zone, with the daily use of more than 60 tools emitting harmful emissions.”

“Modern technology makes switching to battery power easier than ever, unlocking a series of benefits for councils and their maintenance professionals. Better still, transitioning to battery power can be done in an easy-to-manage and cost-effective manner, maximising council resources while supporting the drive towards cleaner air and greater levels of sustainability.”

Research findings carried out by EGO Power+

The research, carried out by EGO Power+, saw Freedom of Information requests made to forty local authorities operating Clean Air Zones – including individual London boroughs. As these zones are proving to be effective by reducing numbers of high-polluting vehicles, the research aimed to understand if harmful, high-emission outdoor power equipment was still being used in these areas to maintain public green spaces.

As one of the world’s leading suppliers of battery-powered grounds maintenance equipment, EGO Power+ has supported local authorities and businesses large and small to transition to battery power – sustainably and cost effectively. EGO’s technology adds social and environmental value while also driving down the total cost of ownership. For local authorities who face compliance and budgetary challenges, this offers a proven route to a sustainable and safer future.

Councils who have already adopted battery-powered maintenance equipment have unlocked a future that delivers improved comfort and safety to users, with tools that minimise noise and vibration.

To learn more visit: www.egopowerplus.co.uk/clean-air-zones