June 21, 2007
More on Diesel
I found another resource about the problems with diesel powered transportation from the Clear Air Task Force Diesel project. They have maps and estimates of health risks due to diesel exposure in various parts of the country. They also document how installation of diesel particulate filters and ultra-low sulfur gas can reduce emissions significantly. However, all current diesel cars don't meet the necessary EPA standards. This will change as manufacterers start releasing new diesel cars that do. Matching one of these new cars with biodiesel should be very environmentally friendly.
The only exception, as I mentioned earlier, is that biodiesel produces more NOx than fossil diesel fuel. It may be more than outweighed by the reduction in other emissions, but NOx still has serious environmental and health impact.
I did find a presentation from the Department of Energy titled DPF Performance with Biodiesel Blends though. This presentation states two things of interest: NOx emissions are not significantly greater and there is a decent decrease in particulate matter exhaust with a 20% biodiesel blend. So even if you're using a diesel car right now, it really does make sense to start using a biodiesel blend for all the health and environmental benefits.
I suppose we'll have to wait until sometime in 2008 before we should buy a newer diesel car to run on biodiesel we make from vegetable oil. That timeframe isn't too bad though, since Luna still needs to learn to drive and would need a couple of years of driving experience with an old car before we get a better car.
Posted by josuah at June 21, 2007 5:41 PM UTC+00:00
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