Fuel-cycle energy and emission impacts of ethanol-diesel blends in urban buses and farming tractors

Jul 2003

Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the fuel-cycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission effects of ethanol-gasoline blends relative to those of gasoline for applications in spark- ignition engine vehicles. Those studies did not address the energy and emission effects of ethanol-diesel (E-diesel or ED) blends relative to those of petroleum diesel fuel in diesel engine vehicles. The energy and emission effects of E-diesel could be very different from those of ethanol-gasoline blends because the energy use and emissions generated during diesel production (so-called "upstream" effects) are different from those generated during gasoline production; and the energy and emission performance of E-diesel and petroleum diesel fuel in diesel compression-ignition engines differs from that of ethanol-gasoline blends in spark-ignition (Otto-cycle-type) engine vehicles.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) commissioned Argonne National Laboratory to conduct a full fuel-cycle analysis of the energy and emission effects of E-diesel blends relative to those of petroleum diesel when used in the types of diesel engines that will likely be targeted first in the marketplace. This report documents the results of the study. The final report incorporates revisions by the sponsor and by Argonne National Laboratory.

By: Michael Wang, Chris Saricks, and Hanjie Lee (Argonne National Laboratory)

 
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