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Environmental performance of SVO vehicles

The scientific literature on environmental performance of SVO vehicles is somewhat sketchy. Quite a few studies were reported 15-20 years ago, generally concluding that using vegetable oil as a fuel was not feasible. Most of these studies were, however, conducted on unmodified engines, and as such not comparable to modern modified engines.

The picture that emerges from the tests on modified engines indicate that emissions of most pollutants are somewhat lower in the case of SVO, but there is a tendency towards equal or slightly higher NOx emissions and ultra fine particles. However, as sulphur is practically absent from the fuel, SVO should work well with exhaust gas after-treatment systems and thus facilitate significant improvements in emissions compared to today’s standard. A German study is underway to investigate these issues in more detail.

Environmental tests on modified engines indicate that SVO has somewhat lower emissions of most pollutants, but with a tendency towards equal or slightly higher NOx emissions as well as ultra fine particles

As regards CO2, tests show that the emission levels are similar to those of fossil diesel. But if the absorption of CO2 during plant growth is subtracted the picture changes dramatically, as is also the case for other biofuels. Depending on preconditions regarding the use of by-products, etc. the indicative reduction in CO2 emission as compared to fossil diesel is in the range of 80-96%8. It must be reiterated that the reductions are indicative as the availability, transparency and comparability of different studies are limited.

According to the national German regulation on water hazard classification, SVO is harmless to groundwater (class NWG) which means that oil spills cause no significant harm to the environment. In comparison, biodiesel belongs to water hazard class WG1 like viscous crude oil, heavy fuel oil, and a number of other mineral oils and chemicals.

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