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Emissions Results
Summary charts of averaged results are provided for the emissions test results from the thesis. Details on test conditions, and these charts, can also be found in the thesis. These charts also represent the information, in summary form, that is mentioned as being "Appendix C" in the thesis document, but were not available for inclusion at time of submission for conversion to .pdf format for archiving by the university.
Remember that these results are only from one vehicle. Emissions test results for any fuel vary by test type, engine type, etc. Numerous studies should be consulted when attempting to come to an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a particular fuel. Further emissions studies of SVO as an alternative diesel engine fuel are needed.
OPACITY
 Opacity is a way of measuring reduction in particulate matter (black soot). The test results below are from thesis research by Edward Beggs. Tests were conducted on a two-tank system, hot engine, at a government-funded emissions testing facility. Several runs were made for each fuel and the results were averaged. The two-tank system in this test used coolant-based fuel heating only (the Vegtherm was not invented yet!) Therefore, fuel temperatures may have been lower than optimum. Also note that "premium" (Canadian) diesel was used as the baseline fuel in this test and that this was a fuel is purported to contain additives that reduce particulate emissions. Therefore, results compared to "regular" diesel may have been even more dramatic. Finally, it should be noted that the B100 soy biodiesel was also being heated by the coolant-based fuel heating system in this test. Therefore, the biodiesel results may have been better than would be the case for unheated biodiesel.
HYDROCARBONS (HC)
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx)
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
NOTE: This is a tailpipe carbon dioxide emission result only!
As a renewable fuel, vegetable oils as diesel fuel at least "CO2-neutral". In other words, plants capture carbon dioxide when growing and it is released again when the plant-based fuel is burned.
SVO, Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change
CO2 BALANCE:
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide on a massive scale. This is one of the major contributors to climate change. (If you have not seen Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" we strongly suggest you see it!)
It is often stated that SVO is a carbon dioxide neutral fuel since plants capture CO2 and then it is released again when the oil from the plants is burned. In fact, it can even much *better* than carbon-neutral for some crops:
"... it appears, the total gross CO2 reduction from the (winter rapeseed) crop is 9.31 times greater than the gross CO2 emission.
With local use of renewable energy, the net CO2 reduction from the crop is 14.44 times greater than the than the net CO2 emission."
http://www.folkecenter.net/gb/rd/transport/plant_oil/9192/
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