Like *almost* any internal combustion engine, diesel produces particulate matter and gases. (Natural gases such as methane and LPG do not; their byproduct is water; and a reduction of oxygen so don’t run them indoors.) Diesel particulates are heavier (more carbon) which also makes them more visible than exhaust from a gasoline engine. This is where the complaint of ‘dirty’ diesels originates.
[Trivia: For every gallon of fuel burned, a gallon of WATER is expelled through the exhaust system.]
Newer diesel NON-commercial engines now have smog systems on them to trap, re-burn or alter the particulate matter (a catalytic converter or similar). Some add a fluid into the exhaust process to reduce the particulates (mine doesn’t thank goodness). Commercial engines are just becoming limited by smog rules but some are still exempt including ranch tractors, cranes, earth movers etc. Note that it is difficult to get an engine for a vehicle that doesn’t have smog control built into it. (The fire department is exempt, yet when we built up an apparatus we were limited to ‘school bus’ engines, which are smogged.)
Diesels are more economical when moving large loads*; you can get more diesel from a barrel of crude than gas (gas must be ‘cracked’ or broken down further) and until recently was cheaper than gas (no, I don’t know why the price *really* jumped).
But all engines produce ‘bad’ stuff. It’s a compromise that we’ve lived with for over 100 years and are attempting to make better choices.
Rick
* My truck gets 12 MPG when towing the RV (22 when not). A matching GAS powered truck gets 6-7 MPG (12-14 unloaded). My operating costs are lower, even with higher priced fuel. But I’ll never save enough to offset the cost of the engine (an additional $7,000) at the time of purchase.
From: Allison Loukanis
I thought diesel burned clean and was a good thing to do? Allison who is NOT dissing diesel.
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