Urban Air Pollution.

Urban Air Pollution

The transportation sector is responsible for a large majority of air

pollutants in our urban areas, including carbon monoxide and nitrogen

oxides, which form ground-level ozone. Tens of millions of Americans

live in areas not meeting at least one federal air quality standard.

In 1990, Congress passed the Clean Air Act Amendments to combat high

emission levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and the creation

of ground-level ozone by petroleum-based transportation fuels. This

Act specifically required the production and distribution of

cleaner-burning gasoline, containing oxygenates such as ethanol, in

America's most polluted cities. Tougher emissions standards are also

causing diesel engine users to find cleaner-air fuel options. Both

ethanol and bio diesel have been proven to reduce emissions that are

contributing to urban air pollution.

When ethanol is added to gasoline, it displaces gasoline components,

which generally reduces all pollutants. And because ethanol causes

fuels to burn more completely, it further reduces emissions of carbon

monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and toxic air emissions.

Bio diesel in a 20 percent blend with petroleum diesel reduces visible

smoke and odour, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, total

hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide and lead. And when the blend is used

with an oxidation catalyst, particulate matter is reduced even more.

Water Pollution

Water pollution associated with gasoline includes marine oil spills,

groundwater contamination from underground gasoline storage tanks and

runoff of vehicle engine oil and fuel.

Marine oil spills such as the Exxon V...

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...alls in unpopulated regions. When that happens, our

agricultural crops, forests and lakes suffer tremendous damage. Acidic

rain damages an estimated $2 to $3 billion annually of agricultural

crops in the United States each year. Natural forests die from the

acid rain, along with their biological diversity of species. Metal

deposits in soil from acidic rain are later released back into lakes

and streams and are toxic to fish. Thousands of lakes in the U.S. and

Canada have suffered serious losses of aquatic life due to acidic

rain.

Replacing petroleum fuels with bio fuels can dramatically reduce the

amount of sulphur dioxide emissions from the transportation sector.

Using any amount of ethanol or bio diesel in blends displaces the

corresponding amount of sulphur in petroleum, thereby decreasing

sulphur emissions. .