AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Understanding the Affect of Biodiesel Fuels and Engine Mode on Primary Organic and Sulfate Aerosol Emissions from a Light Duty Diesel Engine
JOHN LIGGIO, Shao-Meng Li, Katherine Hayden, Jeremy Wentzell, Tak Chan, Gang Lu, Jeff Brook, Air Quality Research Division, Environment Canada
Abstract Number: 204 Working Group: Combustion
Abstract As the use of biodiesel in vehicles increases there is a need to understand the affect this alternative fuel will have on air emissions and primary PM mass specifically. Experiments were conducted as part of the Diesel Engine Emissions Research Experiment (DEERE) to study the affect of varying biodiesel fuel blends and engine operating mode on the mass of primary organic aerosol (POA) and sulfate emitted. These experiments were conducted utilizing a Volkswagen TDI light duty diesel engine equipped with an OEM diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The engine operated on ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel fuels including canola, soy and tallow which were blended with ULSD varying from 5-100% by volume. Engine operating modes used included idle and non-idle conditions which were based upon three transient drive cycles used for standard emissions testing. Primary organic aerosol and sulphate was measured in real time with a High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The emitted exhaust was also systematically diluted by a factor of 20-1500 to examine POA volatility. Preliminary fuel based emissions factors (mg/Kg Fuel) were estimated, which indicated that the use of biodiesel generally results in reduced POA and sulphate emissions. POA emission factors were also dependent upon dilution level, indicating a degree of POA volatility. The POA volatility was evident for all fuel types, but did not exist under high engine load conditions. The current study demonstrates that (1) the use of biodiesel fuels may reduce POA emissions, (2) POA from this engine is somewhat volatile but is not significantly affected by the fuel used, (3) the volatility of POA from this engine is highly influenced by driving mode, and (4) even non-blended (B100) biodiesel results in a detectable sulfate PM emission. Aspects of these four points will be discussed.