'Green gas' can replace diesel with no significant loss in power, study finds
Use of a fuel made from vegetable oils and animal fats could be the key to a dramatic improvement in Hong Kong's air quality.
Vehicles using bio-diesel create up to 58 per cent less pollutant emissions with no significant loss of power, the University of Hong Kong study found. The fuel is cleaner than the ultra-low-sulfur diesel used in trucks and buses.
The results come as a Singapore-listed Hong Kong company explores the possibility of establishing a plant in Hong Kong or elsewhere in Asia to turn waste oil into bio-diesel.
The study, commissioned by the Environmental Protection Department, was conducted by the University of Hong Kong's department of mechanical engineering.
It found that emission levels of various pollutants, such as particulates and carbon dioxide, were about 23 to 58 per cent lower in vehicles using pure bio-diesel. Even using ultra-low sulfur diesel mixed with 20 per cent bio-diesel resulted in emission reductions of 14 to 16 per cent.