The Millennial Files

Taking a Second Look at Biodiesel

While I am encouraged at the growing acceptance and popularity of the use of sustainable, alternate fuels, as a way of weaning our dependence on fossil fuels regardless of their origin, I am also aware of the possiblity of seeing everything as a silver bullet with no downside. I have come to learn in my life, no matter how much I want it otherwise, almost everything has a downside.

The high volume of sales of hybrid cars by Toyota, Honda, Lexus and Ford attests to that if energy-efficient vehicles are available at an affordable price, the American public will buy them in droves, no matter how much the Big Three claim American drivers still prefer big and powerful vehicles. I never understood how they didn’t get the memo in the 70’s with the enormous success of the Volkswagon Bug, but that’s another story. However, these sales demonstrate a growing willingness of the American public to walk away from low-mpg/high performance vehicles.

Another alternative to gas-guzzling hogs was the introduction of biodiesel fuels. This has received a lot of White House and Congressional support especially since it provided American corn growers like Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) — a major political contributor, with a potentially growing and infinite market. Even CNN used Brazil as an example of an oil-independent country. The only trouble was Brazil uses its sugar cane fields and we are trying to do the same with corn, which was not missed by ADM, who recently began investigating acquiring that market.

However, I have recently come across some articles warning of the potential for biodiesel to increase nitrous oxide (NoX) emissions, which is no laughing matter. Ntirous oxide is a major component of and precursor to ground level ozone: smog. I looked into this, and as far as I can tell, the spectrum of an increase NoX emission levels ranges from 2% to 10%, depending on the vehicle in question.

A 2002 Environment Protection Agency study focused on heavy duty diesel engines and off-road diesel. In the conclusion, it stated “One potential drawback to the use of biodiesel is the increase in NOx emissions. Although the increase is small in comparison to the reductions in other regulated pollutants (such as CO2 and particulate matter), such NOx increases may be problematic for ozone nonattainment or maintenance areas.” It suggested investigating and developing use of other additives to counteract this, such as cetane, or modifying biodiesel itself or the engines to lower NOx emissions.

While I am not ready to throw out the baby with the bathwater, I do think it is is important we all remain vigilantly aware of what we are doing to combat global climate change. Caveat emptor.

Laughing gas isn’t always a laughing matter, and can have lethal side-effects.