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Date:         Tue, 11 May 2004 23:52:53 -0400
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Diesels on NPR this morning
In-Reply-To:  <CHEMIOFEMIHINDCEBODPGEKCDIAA.steven@epochdesign.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

There is a question, though, about what kind of biological material is used to make the fuel. I don't know how auto fuel is made, but with power plants that burn biological material, it's not clear that they are that much better than petroleum. They put out GHG emissions, and if the fuel isn't grown organically, its cultivation generates a lot of water pollution from ag runoff. Is the biological matter used to make biodiesel the waste from some other ag process or grown specifically for fuel? In the former case, what is now done with that waste. If it's excess nutrients that we've found a new use for, great. But if it was returned to the soil to enrich it for future agriculture, then we'll have to replace it. If it was grown just for making fuel, then how? Growing biofuels organically is pretty expensive.

All of which isn't to say that they aren't a good idea, just that they may not be financially viable, and they also may not be environmentally preferable to the alternatives.

Joy

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of Steven Dodson Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:23 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Diesels on NPR this morning

If you look at the latest emission controls on Renault, VW, Audi and others, you'll find that the new Oxi-cats and soot filters go a long way to reduce the NOX and soot. Burn B100 bio-diesel with these same emission controls and the NOX and soot are hardly detectable (cleaner than the air in LA anyway). Not perfect but certainly better than cracking petroleum to get hydrogen for fuel cells. I think it's a good start but certainly not the final answer. The thing I like best about bio-diesel, is not funding OPEC or Texas oil tycoons.

-Steven Dodson Kneeland, CA "Inga" the 87 Syncro

----- Original Message ----- Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 15:22:46 -0500 From: "Donald Baxter / Iowa City, Iowa" <onanov@MINDSPRING.COM> Subject: Re: Diesels on NPR this morning

Yep, I did. Wasn't lost on me that Diesels are probably not a very good ultimate environmental solution to our transportation needs. Soot and NOX can't be ignored.

DB


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