Emissions and Me - Ollie Schlosser

 Ever since I was young, I have loved anything on wheels. This began when I was probably four or five years old, and I began noticing heavy equipment on construction sites, trains, big rigs, and everything in between. The passion for these machines has continued to snowball into more than just an appreciation for them, but a hobby. Since the acquisition of my driver's license, I've made a substantial effort to get as much experience and knowledge as I can. From doing things as simple as changing my brakes for the first time to my first suspension rebuild, and even dropping and rebuilding the 6-speed in my first car a few years ago. Now, I am driving my dream truck that was luckily passed down to me from my dad - a 1996 7.3L Powerstroke. For those who are unaware, Powerstrokes are Ford’s line of diesel pickups. Going from a small gas-fueled manual coupe to a ¾ ton diesel guzzling brute of a truck. With such an interest in the automotive industry and experience with both gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles, I figured I would take a closer look at the difference in emissions. Exhausts and emissions have been heavily restricted on newer diesel trucks as a result of higher nitrogen oxide and particulate matter being emitted. Gasoline engines tend to produce more carbon dioxide, which is more immediately harmful than nitrogen oxides. Diesel emissions are more harmful to the environment in the long term, but Pilkington (2022) found that although diesels are worse in the long term, more people buy gas-fueled vehicles, which led to a rise in CO2 emissions rising 0.8% per car in 2017. This is not only because of fewer diesel purchases, but diesel engines are designed to run on heat, air, and compression, where diesel fuel is injected as a mist that is then able to combust. This differs greatly from traditional gasoline engines that require air, spark, and fuel to have proper combustion. Because of this, governments once promoted the purchase of diesel vehicles. I understand both sides of the argument, with a bias towards diesel pickups despite their harm to the environment, and I am proactive in offsetting the emissions that my truck produces. The debate concerning which is healthier for the environment has been going on for several years and will continue to for many years to come. While electric vehicles present themselves as the answer to this debate, I sure hope they aren't. Despite the emissions from internal-combustion engines, the ethics and actual effectiveness at the core of their production are highly questionable. At the end of the day, it is all harmful to the environment, and we should all be more proactive in offsetting the pollution we are responsible for.

https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1580

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