Switch from gasoline to ethanol linked to higher ozone levels

LA Times

Neela Banerjee

May 1, 2014, 10:15 a.m.

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Study says tree planting for biofuels could lead to death from ozone inhalation

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
March 5, 2013   Read more

Indian-origin scientist unveils new, efficient technique of biofuel production

sify.com
2010-07-01 17:20:00

An Indian-origin researcher and her colleagues at North Carolina State University have unveiled a more efficient technique for producing biofuels from woody plants. The procedure significantly reduces the waste that results from conventional biofuel production techniques.

Study co-author Dr. Ratna Sharma-Shivappa, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering at NC State, said: "This technique makes the process more efficient and less expensive. The technique could open the door to making lignin-rich plant matter a commercially viable feedstock for biofuels, curtailing biofuel's reliance on staple food crops.

"Our eventual goal is to use this technique for any type of feedstock, to produce any biofuel or biochemical that can use these sugars."

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Kudzu Invasion Doubles Q:1 Emissions of Nitric Oxide and Increases Ozone Pollution

Stoney Brook University via newswise.com
Released: 5/13/2010 4:00 PM EDT
Embargo expired: 5/17/2010 3:00 PM EDT

Newswise — Kudzu, “the vine that ate the South,” is not just swallowing landscapes and altering ecosystems in the southeastern U.S., it is also increasing ozone pollution according to a new report published in the May 17, 2010 on line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Planted in the early 20th century to help control erosion, this Asian native is a fast growing legume that can fix atmospheric nitrogen at a high rate, potentially altering the nitrogen cycle where it invades.

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Ethanol-Powered Vehicles Generate More Ozone Than Gas-Powered Ones

ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2009)

Ethanol -- often promoted as a clean-burning, renewable fuel that could help wean the nation from oil -- would likely worsen health problems caused by ozone, compared with gasoline, especially in winter, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers.

Ozone production from both gasoline and E85, a blend of gasoline and ethanol that is 85 percent ethanol, is greater in warm sunny weather than during the cold weather and short days of winter, because heat and sunlight contribute to ozone formation. But E85 produces different byproducts of combustion than gasoline and generates substantially more aldehydes, which are precursors to ozone.

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