Biodiesel is great and all, but what about NOx emissions? I set to find out and will keep updating this page. I found that emissions are manageable using clean technologies outright or as aftermarket add-ons.

In addition to manageable emissions, getting off corporate and middle east resources (the Syriana "ball of wax", as EW puts it) is nothing but net gain. Continuing on...

From cleaire.com:

NOx, Oxides of Nitrogen
"NOx forms during combustion, and contributes to ground level ozone, or smog. Ground level ozone damages lung tissue and causes property damage."

I believe this is an unfair comparison set up by Cummins West (Cleaire) to bolster sales of their product. I believe a more accurate comparison would be between B100 and Cleaire, or B100 with Cleaire vs plain Diesel #2 fuel exhaust. Of course B20 will pollute more than B100--because it contains 80% petroleum Diesel!

There is no environmental reason to continue using plain Diesel #2 and every reason to also go hybrid diesel-Electric. If prices of petro-based fuel continues to increase, there will be no economic reason either.

While Cleaire is helping us clean up the problem we created (air pollution from diesel) I look at the data and see that Biodiesel must be part of the solution too, providing around 25% of American energy needs within a decade or two. Both are necessary.

I don't have data for diesel/biodiesel prices in the last two years, but we have access to regular gas prices. On Oakland GasPrices.com you can see that gas prices have doubled in the last two years. I would expect diesel prices to follow a similar trend.

Yosemite National Park has been using hybrid diesel-electric full size busses since April 25, 2005. Based on its mission to preserve wilderness, I believe that Yosemite National Park made the most sound environmental (and economic) decision.

Indeed, they chose to go with a hybrid diesel solution. Yosemite chose GM's dual-mode hybrid drive with Diesel Particulate Filter. Further, Yosemite plans to use biodiesel in the near future. I rode the bus while visiting this October and it was very quite and clean.

From GM's hybrid bus site:

"The bus uses Allison's EP System of clean parallel hybrid technology, in which the engine powers the battery to run the wheels, providing significant fuel economy improvement, compared with conventional diesel transit buses. With a Diesel Particulate Filter, particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions are reduced up to 90 percent, and nitrous oxide emissions are reduced up to 50 percent."

Based on current available technologies from GM, Cleaire, and MIT (the Plasmatron), the facts show that Diesel powered vehicles (large and small) can use Biodiesel AND cut NOx emissions, compared to regular dinodiesel.

NOx and other emissions from all petroleum-based vehicles are a problem. These emissions do aggravate asthma and bronchitis, damage lung tissue and cause property damage. A reasonable goal will be to minimize these effects from all vehicles with an eye toward true zero emissions - the hydrogen and renewable energy future.

Then again, you could walk or even bike down to the grocery store. That's how it was when I lived in Japan. No gas necessary!

The 125 year fossil fuel orgasm is almost over.

Good riddens. (10/5/05)

Postscript 2/27/06: Seems catalytic converters don't just reduce exhaust emissions -- they pollute metals into the air, soil, and water too! Read on about converter pollution study.

The only way to reduce automobile pollution is to... stop driving, plant trees, and go the way of the Roman Empire.