Emission of Highly Activated Soot Particulate—The Other Side of the Coin with Modern Diesel Engines

摘要

Diesel engines are characterized by high fuel efficiency and high reliability due to the absence of an electrical ignition system. They produce only a small amount of carbon monoxide as they burn the fuel in excess air, even under full load conditions, and therefore they have become more popular and "welcome" as an alternative to or even replacement for gasoline engines to reduce the emission of greenhouse and toxic gases. Another advantage in terms of environmental protection is the possibility of using nonfossil fuels such as long-chain alkyl esters (biodiesel) that can have a lower carbon footprint than petrodiesel. The rapid increase in the proportion of new cars with diesel engines in the past 20 years in Western Europe is illustrated in Figure 1. This trend is expected to further increase over the next few years until the development of cheap and competitive hybrid technology brings the share of diesel and gasoline motors down to an expected 15-35 % in 2030.