The IEA Advanced Motor Fuels Agreement has initiated this project concerning the application of biodegradable lubricants to diesel and gasoline type vehicles.
Emission measurements on a chassis dynamometer were carried out. The purpose of these measurements was to compare the emissions of CO, CO2, NOx, THC, PM, lubricant-SOF and PAH from diesel and gasoline type vehicles using biodegradable lubricants and conventional lubricants. This paper describes the results of the experiments with the gasoline type vehicles only - two FFV's (Flexible Fuel Vehicles). The results from the measurements on the diesel type vehicles are described in an earlier SAE paper [1]. Lubricant consumption and fuel consumption are other important parameters that have been evaluated during the experiments.
Both vehicle types were operated on conventional crude oil based fuels and alternative fuels. The FFV's were operated on conventional gasoline fuel from a Swedish fuel station, and an ethanol fuel (E85), which was also bought at a Swedish fuel station. The driving patterns that were applied in these experiments were the FTP and EU test cycles.
Since the biodegradability of lubricants changes with age, it was necessary to measure this change by driving the vehicles for a number of kilometers in order to obtain a full picture of the environmental impact of implementing biodegradable lubricants. Therefore lubricant samples were taken from the engine crankcase after driving 7500 km on the road.
These samples were analyzed in order to evaluate biodegradability of the used lubricant and engine wear.