Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
I always read that diesels had low NOx levels but high particulates this trade off was somehow worth it for emissions. I assumed that that's why there were so many diesel cars in Europe, because there were more efficient and less polluting because you could get by with a smaller displacement engine that produced fewer emissions.
I think that passenger car diesels might be going to way of the rotary engine, can't pass emissions anymore. Too many jobs on the line for anyone to admit it.
It was before. Problem is high pressure direct injection. It is opposite of what one would assume. The lower consumption the more NOx.
But yes, diesels were pushed bcs of CO2, while creating slew of issues with NOx, including limestone detirioration which affects numerous historic sites, especially in Paris (just as an example).
Wasn't NOx, it was SOx. Sulfation of limestone due to the sulfuric and sulfurous acids.
And at Uni, we were taught that diesels, with the high compression ratio and lean combustion were always more NOx prone.
There's some errors being driven in this thread.
Both So2 and NOx gases are contributing. You are right, SO2 is the worst when it comes to corrosion, but other gases are also an issue:
http://www.air-quality.org.uk/12.php
And that is what I said, with direct injection comes more NOx. Remember first GDI engine in Mitsubishi Carisma? Huge issue was ridiculously high NOx. The reason why other fallowed much later was problem of solving Nox.