Assessment of biodiesel scenarios for Midwest freight transport emission reduction

Abstract

There are trade-offs when attempting to reduce both greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutants for freight transport, as the control strategies are not necessarily complimentary. While emission controls can remove ozone precursors and particulate from vehicle exhaust streams, greenhouse gas emission can only be mitigated by either reducing fuel consumption or switching to lower carbon-content fuel.. One near-term alternative that can readily reduce fuel consumption is the reduction of freight vehicle speed. To lower the carbon-content of freight transportation fuel, the primary near-term alternative is to increase blending of biodiesel. The cost-effectiveness of the emission reduction strategy will be characterized from the freight carriers viewpoint, by comparing the direct costs to estimates of indirect costs and fuel savings. Multiple scenarios will be modeled using EPA?s MARKAL model to simulate implementation of the proposed measures. MARKAL will be used to quantify the system-wide effects of changes in resource supply, technology availability, and account for CO2, SO2, NOX, PM, and VOC emissions.