12-12-2012, 05:11 PM
The Need for Alternative Fuel Sources: Biodiesel and Other Options
The Need for Alternative Fuel.pdf (Size: 967.15 KB / Downloads: 130)
Diesel Engines
94% of all goods in the Unites States are
transported by vehicles with diesel
powered engines
Used for their power, reliability, and
durability
Can be recognized by their emissions of
sooty, foul smelling exhaust
Unburned Carbon
Becomes eye and lung irritants when emitted to
the atmosphere
Soot is able to bypass the body’s main immunodefense
mechanisms, and become imbedded
deep in the lungs
Prolonged exposure can cause lung disease
and asthma
Responsible for corrosion, harm to vegetation, a
reduction in visibility, and affects the climate
Carbon Monoxide
Reduces air quality
Human exposure to CO reduces the ability of the
blood to carry oxygen to the body’s vital organs
Low-exposure can cause dizziness, headaches,
fatigue, and chronic flu-like symptoms
High-exposure can cause death
Nitrogen Oxides
Harmful to vegetation: reduces crop growth and
production yield
Reacts with water and oxygen in the atmosphere
to produce acid rain
Contributes to global warming by absorbing
infrared radiation, and by contributing to the
destruction of the ozone layer
Sulfur Emissions
Effects the respiratory tract and can
aggravate cardiovascular disease
Harms plants, trees, and decreases crop
yield
Along with nitrogen oxides, is the primary
producer of acid rain
Acid Rain
Sulfur and nitrogen dioxides react with
water vapor and oxygen in the atmosphere
to form sulfuric and nitric acid
Returns to the Earth in precipitation,
altering the pH of bodies of water, soil
nutrient balance, endanger entire
ecosystems, and corrode surfaces
Environmental Benefits
Cleaner burning alternative to plain diesel
Completely renewable: composed of mono-alkyl
esters and fatty acids derived form vegetable oil
Helps conserve natural resources: for every unit
of energy needed to produce biodiesel, an
additional 3.24 units are created
“Biodiesel is less toxic than table salt, and
degrades faster than sugar.”