Bio diesel still pollutes or not?

Question

I hear about Bio diesel and if I am not very wrong that fuel still pollutes the air just as normal diesel.

CP has a lot to say but is missing some very important points. It is much more than just using biodiesel. it has to begin when the source begins.

Answer 1

Biodiesel does pollute. This fuel contains carbon and hydrogen molecules that are similar to those in gasoline and diesel fuel.

The pollution from both comes from the combustion process that converts carbon to either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. Both are considered pollutants by today's standards.

In addition, it takes energy in the form of gasoline to power the tractors to grow the plants and fuel to process the plants into fuel.

The only advantage to biofuel is that it is renewable.....assuming you don't have a drought or insect plague.

Answer 2

Yes it does pollute.
Biodiesel pollutes the same as petrodiesel. The same hydrocarbons are being burned. The difference is who is paid for the fuel. We can produce the biodiesel here in the USA. If low sulfur diesel is burned then low sulfur pollution. NOx is formed by combustion in any engine from the air(80% Nitrogen). CO2 production is the same for any hydrocarbon fuel. CO2 from fuel that is burned on the surface of the Earth does not pollute because the plants take it up immediately (when they are growing). Fuel burned above 30,000 ft may be producing the 'greenhouse effect'. No plants up there.

Answer 3

Yes, it does. For the most part the pollutants are a fraction of those emitted through combustion of regular diesel. Formation of NOx, however, is leading to discussion of harmful effects.

Texas appears to be moving to ban biodiesel outright effective December 31, 2006. My thought is that this is more of a lobbyist move than a true environmental issue. Big oil is likely at play.

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Answer 4

Burning any fuel pollutes. Biodiesel kicks out less pollutants than the fuels we are using now, however, the amount of energy required to produce biodiesel is said to be more than the net gain of energy from burning it as a fuel.

Answer 5

It's pretty simple:
Biodisesel has NO net gain of carbon. The same carbon that was sequestered in the plant, is combusted into the atmosphere, only to continue the cycle.
Regular diesel involves taking long sequestered carbon and releasing it, adding to the amount of carbon cycling around the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere.


..assuming every part of refining it was powered by renewable energy as well.

Answer 6

Hauling billions of barrels of oil accross the ocean also produces pollutants...

Biodiesel emits much fewer pollutants then regular diesel, and when combined with the blue-tech system that meets the strict '07 emmissions requirements, a new diesel using Biodiesel car can emit fewer pollutants than even a prius.

I use 20% biodiesel in both my truck and car.

Furthermore it is one of the most promising alternative fuels. It yields 4 gallons of fuel for every gallon used to produce, compared to ethanol which is only slightly more than 1 gallon per gallon used to produce. It is home grown and provides jobs for our farmers, not funding some towel head who wants to blow us up.



The ozone (smog) forming potential of biodiesel hydrocarbons is less than diesel fuel. The ozone forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon emissions is 50 percent less than that measured for diesel fuel
.
Sulfur emissions are essentially eliminated with pure biodiesel.

The exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel.

Criteria pollutants are reduced with biodiesel use. Tests show the use of biodiesel in diesel engines results in substantial reductions of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Emissions of nitrogen oxides stay the same or are slightly increased.

Carbon Monoxide -- The exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) from biodiesel are on average 48 percent lower than carbon monoxide emissions from diesel.

Particulate Matter -- Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health hazard. The exhaust emissions of particulate matter from biodiesel are about 47 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from diesel.

Hydrocarbons -- The exhaust emissions of total hydrocarbons (a
contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) are on average 67 percent lower for biodiesel than diesel fuel.

Nitrogen Oxides -- NOx emissions from biodiesel increase or decrease depending on the engine family and testing procedures. NOx emissions (a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) from pure (100%) biodiesel increase on average by 10 percent. However, biodiesel’s lack of sulfur allows the use of NOx control
technologies that cannot be used with conventional diesel.
Additionally, some companies have successfully developed additives to reduce Nox emissions in biodiesel blends.

Answer 7

Yes bio-diesel pollutes our environment. we already know that all petroleum products pollutes, apart from this that bio diesel also is a exhaustive product so it'll pollutes the environment not as much as petroleum products but it pollutes less when compared to diesel