Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel fuel coming to the market soon
One of the problems with using fossil fuels is the sulfur that gets sent out the tail pipe. Clean diesel is one way to power diesel engines without the sulfur. The technical definition, explained over at the Diesel Technology Forum, is Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, which means the fuel contains only 15 parts per million sulfur content, 97 percent less than current diesel. ULSD should be available to most consumers by October, and last Thursday was one of the first in a series of deadlines to get ULSD into the U.S. market. June 1st marked the day when 80 percent of the diesel imported or produced in the U.S. for use by on-road vehicles must be ULSD. The 80 percent requirement will be in effect until June 1st, 2010, when ULSD must make up 100 percent of the produced or imported fuel. California is ahead of the curve (again); their 100 percent ULSD requirements kicked in Friday. It won't be until December, 2010 that all highway diesel sold be ULSD. The rest of the schedule can be seen here. Combined with cleaner-burning diesel engines (using plasma, for example), diesel emissions will be drastically cut in the years to come.
[Source: Diesel Technology Forum]
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