Effects of Biodiesel on NOx Emissions

Bob McCormick
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Golden, Colorado
ARB Biodiesel Workgroup
June 8, 2005

NREL/PR-540-38296

Advantages of Biodiesel
Inherent advantages of diesel engines:
Up to 40% (or even higher) improved efficiency relative to
gasoline
Inherently very low hydrocarbon emissions (both tailpipe
and evaporative)
B20 Blends:
Reduce life-cycle petroleum consumption by 19%
Reduce life-cycle CO2 emissions by 16%
Further reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 20%
Reductions in PM emissions

Biodiesels Effect on Emissions

Older Engines
EPA analysis:
data from many
studies
engine models
through 1997
NOx
No change for B5
2% up for B20
10% up for B100
PM
5% down for B5
12% down for B20
48% down for B100
Analysis from EPA420-P-02-001, October 2002

Biodiesels Effect on NOx Emissions

-Engine Data
Typical Older Engines (thru 1997):
Newer Engines (2004 compliant):

B20 = +2%, B100 = +10%

B20 = +4%, B100 = +30%

Analysis for Pre-1998 Engines from EPA420-P-02-001, October 2002

NOx Reduction Strategies

Injection timing retard:
Can eliminate NOx increase for pre-1998
engines
Reduces or eliminates PM benefit
Can reduce fuel economy
Requires engine certified on and
dedicated to biodiesel
Graboski & McCormick, Progress in Energy and Combustion
Science, 24 125 (1998).

Percent Change in NOx versus No. 2 Diesel

B20

B20 + Timing Retard

-2

1987 Cummins L10

1987 Cummins N14
-4
-20

-10

10

Percent Change in PM versus No. 2 Diesel

Cetane increasing additives

Use of more highly saturated biodiesel

20

Cetane Additives for Reducing NOx

For testing in older engines:
Effective for soy B20
NOx reductions significant at 95% confidence or greater
No change in PM emissions or fuel economy

NOx Emission, g/bhp-h

5.0
DTBP
2-EHN
4.9

4.8

Cert Fuel NOx

4.7

4.6

4.5
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

Volume Percent DTBP or EHN

Data from SAE 2002-01-1658

2.0

Cetane Additives for Reducing NOx

2.5

No significant effect
observed for B20 in 2004
emission standard engines

Pollutant Emission, g/bhp-h

2002 ISB

NOx
HCx10
CO
PMx10

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
BP15

B20

B20+EHN

2.5
NOx
HCx10
CO
PMx10

Pollutant Emission, g/bhp-h

2003 S60
2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

Data from SAE 2005-01-2200

BP15

B20

B20+EHN

Effect of Biodiesel Composition on NOx

6

0.6

Results for 1991

engine

0.5

Canola ME

0.3

NOx, g/ghp-h

PM, g/ghp-h

0.4

Cert Fuel Mean

0.2

Soy ME

Tallow ME

Cert Fuel Mean

0.1
Iodine# vs NOx, g/BHP-hr

0.0
0

20

40

60

80

BSFC, lb/bhp-h

0.55

0.50
Biodiesel Mean=0.446 lb/bhp-h

0.45

0.40

0.35

Cert Fuel Mean=0.390 lb/bhp-h

Energy Consumption, btu/bhp-h

Iodine Number

0.60

100 120 140 160 180

0.30

20

40

60

80

100 120 140 160 180

Iodine Number

9000

8000
Cert Fuel Mean=7126 btu/bhp-h

7000

Data from Environ. Sci. &

Technol. 35 1742-1747 (2001),
DDC Series 60 engine (1991)
HD FTP
B100 compared to LSD

Biodiesel Mean=7051 btu/bhp-h

6000

5000
4.0

4.5

5.0

NOx, g/bhp-h

5.5

6.0

NOx emissions
correlated with fuel
unsaturation
NOx varies by 1
g/bhp-h but energy
consumption varies
by less than 2%

4.0

4.5

5.0

NOx, g/bhp-h

5.5

6.0

Effect of Biodiesel Composition for Blends

NOx emissions for B20 blends versus biodiesel Iodine Number:
6.6

NOx neutrality at Iodine

Number of roughly 95

NOx, g/kW-h

6.4

I.N. is typically >120 for soy

6.2

Cert Fuel Mean

Soy ME
6.0

Tallow ME
5.8
60

80

100

120

Iodine Number

140

Suggests blending of high and

low I.N. fuels may be a
strategy to eliminate the NOx
increase -older engines

Effect of Biodiesel Composition

Results for 2004 engines
Much smaller effect of degree of unsaturation

B100
Data from SAE 2005-01-2200

B20

Comparison of Engine and Vehicle Emissions

EPA predictive model based on engine dyno data
Results compared to vehicle (chassis dyno) results
On average, NOx was reduced in vehicle test studies

Analysis from EPA420-P-02-001, October 2002

Chassis Data Examples

Plot: Weaver, report to SCAQMD, November 2004.
Data:
Peterson and Reece, SAE Paper No. 961114.
Taberski and Petersen, BioEnergy 98, Expanding
Bioenergy Partnerships, available at www.biodiesel.org.

Durbin and Norbeck Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36,1686.

Light-duty FTP test cycle for B20 blends of three biodiesels

General observation: very high power-to-weight

vehicles, such that engine operation is at light load.
Speculate: biodiesel may reduce NOx at lighter
loads?

Biodiesel Bus Chassis Dynamometer Testing

B20 vs. conventional diesel fuel
2 in-use buses tested (40,000 lb GVWR)
City Suburban Heavy Vehicle Cycle
(CSHVC) at 35,000 lb inertia
Cummins ISM 2000 Engine No EGR
Expected reductions (g/mile basis)

PM 24%
HC 40%
CO 32%
Fuel Economy 3%

Unexpected reductions in NOx

5% reduction
statistical confidence > 99%

Biodiesel Effect on NOx Uncertainty

Engine tests on average show NOx increasing
NOx can go up or down depending on engine and test
cycle - this is not well understood fundamentally
Finding of a NOx increase is not based on testing of a
representative sample of in-use engines
Finding of NOx increase is not based on a market share
weighted average
Vehicle tests on average show NOx reductions
Very limited dataset
Again, not based on representative sample or market
share weighted average

Closing Remarks
There is considerable uncertainty regarding biodiesels impact on NOx
emissions
Additional research is required to fundamentally understand the cause
of the NOx increase and to understand why engine and chassis tests
give directionally different results
The main benefits of biodiesel use are reductions in petroleum
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/publications.html