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Kammersgaardsvej 16,
DK-7760 Hurup Thy |
Hurup, January 18th 2001, 17:50
Press release 
Thesis misused in Swedish debate about rape seed oil as a fuel for engines.
Caused by a news telegram from the Swedish telegram bureau "Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå", the Swedish media has brought news about carcinogenic pollution from the combustion of rape seed oil. The story developed so far: that according to the thesis, replacement of fossil fuel for engines by rape seed oil is more harmful for health compared to diesel fuel.
Briefly the story has nothing to do with fuel for engines. Nevertheless the story has spread both to Denmark and Germany. The Swedish thesis which is being referred to does not mention engines, especially not engines which are optimised for cold pressed rape seed oil. The measurements have been carried out in an oven at low temperature, and can therefore not be compared with combustion in an engine. In addition it was biodiesel and not cold pressed rape seed oil which was used for the test.
Background:
The background for the whole story originates from a
doctoral thesis from 1998 from the University of Chalmers, Göteborg,
Sweden. At that time the report did not catch much attention. It
came first after a press release from the University of Chalmers
in December 2000. The Folkecenter has today spoken to the
researcher Mrs. Aasa Haakannson, one of the authors of both the
report and an article which was published about this. She
informed that they used biodiesel for the test and that the
measurements were done by combustion in an oven at 550°C. They
did not use an engine running on cold pressed rape seed oil, and
which is optimised for that fuel.
The measurement can not be compared and can not be used for anything in connection with the use of cold pressed rape seed oil as a replacement of fossil diesel fuel.
The results from the doctoral thesis have been misused and manipulated.
Facts:
Only very few have exact knowledge about the emissions
from engines optimised for cold pressed rape seed oil, and almost
nobody has concrete results from measurements. Most measurements
have been done with biodiesel (RME) in standard NOT-modified
engines, that is to say engines optimised for fossil fuel. The
Folkecenter has previous published a note concerning emissions
from engines optimised for cold pressed plant oil fuel. The note
includes amongs other things, an authorised emission test done
with an engine optimised for cold pressed plant oil. In addition
the Folkecenter have the results from a corresponding test of a
VW LUPO 3L, the so called 3 litre car. These results show, that
the emission of Particulate Matter (PM) is held within the limits
of the new EURO 3 norm.
These results should be seen with the fact in mind, that the development of engines optimised for cold pressed CO2 neutral plant oil received very little founding. The development is still in an embryonic stage compared to the huge amount of development work constantly being done with fossil fuel engines.
The emission of particles from the newest diesel cars has been reduced significantly in comparison with previous times. The Danish Minister of Environment, Mr. Svend Auken, uses one of these advanced cars as his minister car. If these types of cars furthermore were optimised for raw plant oil, it would be a huge step in the direction of a CO2 neutral car.
The agricultural sector can supply the plant oil, which is a bi-product from the production of protein rich food cakes.
Further information about cold pressed rape
seed oil as a fuel for transport can be found on the WEB page of
Folkecenter
http://www.folkecenter.dk/plant-oil/plant-oil_en.htm
The note concerning emission from cold
pressed rape seed oil as a fuel for engines is also found on the
WEB page of Folkecenter
http://www.folkecenter.dk/plant-oil/emission/emission.htm and
http://www.folkecenter.dk/plant-oil/press/pressem_partikelemission_raps_11092000.htm
Further information by contact to Folkecenters’ director, Mr. Preben Maegaard, on telephone +45 97956600 or mobile phone +45 21276677
Related articles
Article about the Swedish test: Chemosphere, Vol. 38, No. 11, pp. 2467-2474, 1999
1/2 2001 - Follow up in "Bild Der Wissenschaft online" http://www.wissenschaft.de
2/2 2001 - New press release from Univercity of Chalmers http://www.chalmers.se/Nyheter/2001/vecka06/raps.html
23/2 2001 - New press release with retraction from Univercity of Chalmers http://www.chalmers.se/Nyheter/2001/vecka08/rapsolja.html
15/5 2001 - Press release with retraction
from Volvo Cars UK http://www.volvocars.co.uk/press/pressreleases/environment.asp?refId=292
(if you do not come to the press release, try first to go to http://www.volvocars.co.uk)
