Is diesel fuel better for the environment?

Diesel fuel is the primary fuel used for transmit good across the United States . Diesel fuel is heavy and oilier than gasoline and when it was first used in cars during the oil crisis of the 1970s , multitude find their cars covered in soot . Indeed , diesel engine engines can emit a fair amount of nitrogen compounds and particulate topic as they burn diesel fuel . These facts conflate to give diesel fuel a bad environmental name , even though it in fact emits low-toned amount of carbon monoxide , hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide than does gasoline .

Diesel fuel demand continues to rise , in particular in China as construction need continue to rise there . The EU is also looking for way to make diesel fuel more environmentally friendly by reducing the total number of particulate emissions per kilometer [ source : EUROPA ] . Over the retiring three or four X , researcher have made diesel fuel more environmentally favorable by improving railway locomotive performance and making the fuel cleaner .

New direct shot devices controlled by computer monitor fuel combustion , which guide to better energy efficiency and reduced emissions . Other Modern devices , such as CRT particulate matter filters and catalytic converters , are reducing smut , carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emanation by as much as 90 percent [ source : Diesel Technology Forum ] . More environmentally clean forms of Rudolf Diesel fuel , such as ultra low atomic number 16 diesel ( ULSD ) , is another way researchers are developing elbow room to repress emission of diesel fuel .

Of course , two of diesel fuel ’s environmental reward have always been that Rudolf Diesel engine get better mileage than traditional petrol engines and diesel fuel requires less purification . The energy costs required for refine crude crude oil into petrol and the limitations placed on gasoline yield by special refinery in the United States both contribute to increased gas needs . To the degree that diesel fuel can set off the need for more gas , the environmental price of refining accelerator is also reduce .