Modelling of Emissions and Energy Use from Biofuel Fuelled Vehicles at Urban Scale

Abstract

Biofuels have been considered to be sustainable energy source and one of the major alternatives to petroleum-based road transport fuels due to a reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. However, their effects on urban air pollution are not straightforward. The main objective of this work is to estimate the emissions and energy use from bio-fuelled vehicles by using an integrated and flexible modelling approach at the urban scale in order to contribute to the understanding of introducing biofuels as an alternative transport fuel. For this purpose, the new Traffic Emission and Energy Consumption Model (QTraffic) was applied for complex urban road network when considering two biofuels demand scenarios with different blends of bioethanol and biodiesel in comparison to the reference situation over the city of Coimbra (Portugal). The results of this study indicate that the increase of biofuels blends would have a beneficial effect on particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions reduction for the entire road network (−3.1% [−3.8% to −2.1%] by kg). In contrast, an overall negative effect on nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions at urban scale is expected, mainly due to the increase in bioethanol uptake. Moreover, the results indicate that, while there is no noticeable variation observed in energy use, fuel consumption is increased by over 2.4% due to the introduction of the selected biofuels blends.

Effects of Coronavirus Induced City Lockdown on PM2.5 and Gaseous Pollutant Concentrations in Bangkok

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Air Quality Standards and Extreme Ozone Events in the São Paulo Megacity

“…However, the use of biofuels may lead to higher VOC emissions. Many VOCs are ozone precursors, so, increased VOCs emission might result in an increase in ozone concentrations, according to their reactivity and the NOx/VOCs ratio [37][38][39][40]. Since ozone concentrations are still a major concern in the MASP and many other megacities in the world, the use of biofuels must be evaluated properly and implemented conjointly with policies that encourage the use of public transport systems, urban mobility improvements and electric vehicles, aimed to decrease vehicle activity and total emissions.…”

Investigation of Biofuel as a Potential Renewable Energy Source

“…However, EROEI for the production of ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil is 5 to 10, suggesting sugarcane ethanol production in Brazil costs less than that in US [50,51] and Brazil would benefit with using biofuel as energy source. Biofuels have both positive and negative effects on the economy, environment and public health [52]; many studies suggest it is crucial that governments across the globe rigorously consider these impacts prior to any future biofuel investments or implementation strategies [53,54]. Firstly, the economic security of a country can be improved with a larger biofuel industry, especially through the creation of jobs in rural and under-developed areas [55,56].…”