Emissions characterization from EURO 5 diesel/biodiesel passenger car operating under the new European driving cycle

The increasing demand of petroleum based fuels and their use in internal combustion engines have adverse effect on air quality and climate change. Production of biofuels promises substantial improvement in air quality through reducing emission from biofuel operated vehicles. In this study the influence of the fuel mixture on EURO 5 vehicle exhaust emissions operating under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and in hot operating conditions was analysed. Distinct diesel/biodiesel ratios (BO (100%/0%), B7 (93%/7%) and B20 (80%/20%), volume basis) were considered. Experiments were conducted on a chassis dynamometer examining several pollutants, namely: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and total volatile organic compounds (VOC). Moreover, a VOC speciation analysis by gas chromatography was performed to explore the emission variations regarding a set of seventeen VOC. The biodiesel fuel blends showed significant differences in combustion efficiency. An increasing amount of biodiesel in the fuel results in decreasing trends regarding NO, and particulate matter emissions. However, nitrogen dioxide and total VOC emissions increase with the biofuel content in the fuel. Moreover, the VOC speciation analysis suggests that the set of VOC present in exhausted gases is clearly fuel dependent. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.