 | ||
 | | |
November 27, 2007 – Vol.12 No.36 CSIRO: Biodiesel Could Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, But Savings Depend Feedstock. A new 126 page report - The greenhouse and air quality emissions of biodiesel blends in Australia - from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) assesses the emission levels and environmental impacts of biodiesel produced from sources including used cooking oil, tallow (rendered animal fat), imported palm oil and canola. “The results of this study show biodiesel has the potential to reduce emissions from the transport industry, which is the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in Australia, behind stationary energy generation and agriculture,” said report author Dr Tom Beer.
“The greenhouse gas savings do however depend on the feedstock used to produce the biodiesel. The highest savings are obtained by replacing base diesel with biodiesel from used cooking oil, resulting in an 87 per cent emission reduction.” “Palm oil can produce up to an 80 per cent saving in emissions provided it is sourced from pre-1990 plantations. The palm oil source is critical as product from plantations established on recently dried peat swamps or cleared tropical forest will in fact have higher greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel due to factors such as land clearing.” The use of biodiesel also reduces the particulate matter released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fuels, providing potential benefits to human health. CSIRO is Australia's national science agency. As part of the Energy Transformed National Research Flagship, CSIRO is undertaking an extensive research program into alternative fuels such as biodiesel to assess possible biophysical, social and economic impacts of their production and adoption. (11/26/07)
Links: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) The report: The greenhouse and air quality emissions of biodiesel blends in Australia
Disclaimer, Forward-Looking or Safe Harbor Statement on original press release: No
| Front Page | Events | Archives / Resources | Publications | About / Contact | Subscriptions / RSS | Products / Services | Requests for Proposals / Funding Opportunities | Copyright 1996 - 2007 Green Energy News Inc | ||
| | |
