American Ethanol producers are likely using outdated methods to measure nitrogen-oxide or NOx emission levels, key in ethanol production pollution, according to trade publication Ethanol Producer. It indicates that the production of ethanol may be more harmful to the environment than previously thought.
The Clean Air Act measures nitrogen dioxide, or NO2 as a surrogate of sorts for NOx.
Previously, the estimate was that NO2 accounts for between 5 and 20 percent of NOx emissions. But due to inaccuracies in calibration methods, that assumption is proved incorrect. NO2 may actually account for more than 80 percent of NOx's emissions, the report says.
This shows that ethanol factories and the resulting NOx levels could be creating environmental problems at a faster rate than was estimated earlier.
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of the Inspector General said that the regulator hadn't filed a report on the environmental impact of biofuels in five years.
Ethanol and other biofuels have always been under scrutiny over its environmental friendliness when compared to conventional gasoline. A University of Michigan study from last month showed that regulators might be wrong to assume that carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels were being offset by the growth of the corn and other plant matter being used for the fuel.
The study was, however, funded by the American Petroleum Institute, while the lead author claimed it was peer-reviewed.
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