Biodiesel: The Fuel of the Future

Imagine this, you’re taking a walk through the local park with your dog or significant other. It’s a bright sunny day with clear blue skies. All of a sudden, you hear the familiar roar of a tractor-trailer. As this monstrosity passes by, you see large clouds of jet-black smoke exiting the vertical exhaust stacks. As this dirty, oily machine drives past, you watch the plumes of smoke dissipate into the atmosphere. All you can think is, “Oh, that has to be good for the environment.” Many people question why the transportation industry is even allowed to operate when the equipment is so dirty and harmful to our environment. Well, the need to transport supplies and materials is essential to our society. The real question is, Can we achieve the same goal in a more environmentally friendly way?

 

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Primarily, I believe a snapshot of my background on this subject is required. As a diesel technician for an over-the-road trucking company, I have a passion for on-highway vehicles. Within the past few years, I have started classes with the goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Renewable Energy Technology. During this time, I have learned of the negative environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels such as diesel. I like to believe that I am a very level-headed person possesses the ability to assess issues from a broad perspective. By doing so, I have educated myself on how badly the emissions from the transportation industry are affecting the world around us. Putting my passion and knowledge to use, I have started a personal quest to combat the environmental issues surrounding the transportation industry. 

The simple answer to the question is “Yes,” but the true response is much more complicated. The first instinct is to revert to electric vehicles. Although they are a zero-emissions option, the technology available to move the quantity of supplies and materials needed is very limited and not very well tested. Our best option to combat this issue is to improve upon the technologies we have currently. The majority of our transportation industry is powered by diesel engines of varying sizes. The fuel used to power these engines is a complex hydrocarbon that is distilled from crude oil. As we may all know, fossil fuels are a dwindling resource and the cause of environmental issues such as global warming and acid rain.

Diesel fuel is a long-chain hydrocarbon that undergoes combustion inside a diesel engine. Once combusted, a series of gaseous compounds exit the exhaust system of the engine. Generally, these exhaust gases consist of Carbon (soot), Carbon monoxide (CO), Carbon dioxide (CO₂), Oxygen, Water vapour (H₂O) , Oxides of nitrogen (NO_X) and unburnt hydrocarbons (diesel fuel). From an environmental standpoint, we are concerned about soot, hydrocarbons, CO, CO₂, and NO_x. These compounds enter the atmosphere causing climate changes and acid rain. We may not be able to escape this somewhat outdated technology, but we can make improvements in order to reduce its environmental impact. One way to reach this outcome is to change the type of fuel consumed. Biodiesel, which is a Methyl ester created from an oil-based feedstock, can be used as a diesel fuel substitute. The feedstocks of biodiesel are derived from renewable sources that we can obtain readily and in large quantities that can offset the use of traditional diesel fuel by the transportation industry.  

A study of biodiesel’s impact on diesel engine emissions was performed by a group of Egyptian scientists. They compared the emissions of a single-cylinder diesel engine when powered by pure diesel, a 10% biodiesel mixture (B10), and a 20% biodiesel mixture (B20). Four different types of biodiesel were used to create these mixtures; Biodiesel created from algae, Palm oil, waste cooking oil, and Jatropha oil. By performing this experiment, the scientists hope to discover ground-breaking ways to reduce the emissions from a traditional diesel engine.

The results of this experiment were quite interesting. In the trials using B10 and B20 mixtures, the CO, CO₂, hydrocarbon, and soot emissions were lower than that of traditional diesel fuel. The exception to these results was the biodiesel created using waste cooking oil, which yielded higher CO₂ emissions than diesel fuel. The only downside of biodiesel mixtures is the increase in NO_X emissions. Throughout all trials of biodiesel mixtures, a higher quantity of nitrogen oxide emissions was observed. This would require the implementation of another technology in order to deal with these compounds.

Although this study seems quite thorough, there are limitation associated with it. The study did not assess emissions from biodiesel mixtures greater than 20% or a pure biodiesel fuel. It would be necessary to determine the results of these fuels in order to assess the viability of biodiesel as a common fuel. Additionally, this study only assessed biodiesel created from four feedstocks. There are many different biodiesel feedstocks that may yield different results as it relates to emissions. Overall, the study yielded results that are useful, but has limitations.

I am by no means an environmental activist, but I believe our planet must be protected. I believe that there is a sustainable option that could be implemented by the transportation industry. By changing the type of fuel used in the transportation industry, we can potentially reduce the impact we have on the environment. Although a relatively new solution, Biodiesel may become the “fuel of the future” in an attempt to reduce diesel engine emissions.

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