Diesel cars and trucks in the UK might soon be running on vegetable oil under emissions reduction plans being explored by the Government.
Highways England is investigating the environmental benefits of swapping traditional diesel for ‘paraffinic fuels’, which include natural gas or woodchips converted to liquid as well as treated vegetable oil. around 5% of UK diesel is currently made up of biofuels like these however there is prospective to boost that.
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In its own air high quality strategy, the company stated it had brought out “a research study to test the emissions from vehicles utilizing a paraffinic fuel, which might be an alternate for all diesel engines”.
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Paraffinic fuels are liquid fuels that can be utilized as direct replacements for diesel while reducing NOx as well as particulate emissions, which are harmful to health.
Oil business shell has established its own gas-to-liquid (GTL) paraffinic fuel, converting natural gas into a diesel alternate that would otherwise be made of crude oil. The firm declares the fuel reduces NOx emissions by as much as 37% compared to traditional diesel when utilized in buses as well as lorries.
Highways England likewise stated it was checking out the possibility of covering motorways with tunnels to trap cars and truck fumes.
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A Highways England spokesperson said: “The finest solution to accommodating the additional web traffic on our roads, without negatively impacting on air quality, is cleaner low-emission vehicles. In the meantime we are investing £100 million to test new concepts including less-polluting fuels as well as road barriers which can take in harmful emissions.”
Tyre business Continental just recently exposed its own ‘super clean’ diesel innovation capable of reducing real-world emissions by 60 per cent. Engineers established an electrified after-treatment system capable of cutting NOx emissions by two thirds.
Would you run your diesel cars and truck on vegetable oil? tell us in the comments