The world is changing, and there’s no longer any denying it. The series of megatyphoons and the accompanying floods are testament to the effects our use of fossil fuels is having on the climate.
One of the biggest causes of the change in climate is the diesel engine. They cause tons and tons of carbon dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere. As tempting as it is to remove diesel engines from the equation altogether, it’s still a very efficient machine that gives better mileage per equivalent volume of fuel than gasoline.
Industry, heavy machinery and transport depend heavily on diesel engines, so things would grind to a halt if we simply remove diesel from the streets
completely. Currently, almost all the diesel sold in the country is Euro II compliant, meaning the fuel has a maximum sulphur content of SOOppm. Sulfur
is one of the main pollutants in diesel fuel, and is a contributing reason for the thick, noxious black many diesel engines are known to spew. It is also the cause of acid rain, once sulphur compounds in exhaust smoke combine with water in the air. Unioil has provided a small but important answer to the problem of pollution from diesel engines.
The fuel company has officially started offering Euro IV compliant diesel to consumers in all their branches. Their EuroDieseiiV is compliant to Euro IV diesel standards, which mandates that fuel should have a sulphur content of no more than 50ppm. This greatly reduces the amount of pollutants in diesel exhaust, and helps keeps the wheels turning, but in a greener way. Since the fuel is also cleaner overall, government tests have shown that particulate emissions are reduced by
up to 83%. Since 80% of pollutants in the air are caused by motor vehicles, the changes that can be made by simply switching to a cleaner fuel are staggering.
While the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) has in fact mandated that all diesel fuel in the country be Euro IV compliant by 2016, Unioil saw an opportunity to make a change four years early, and offering cleaner diesel to Filipino consumers. Apart from making the cleaner diesel available so early, Unioil has taken it upon itself to absorb the price difference instead of passing it on to the customer. That means anyone can get cleaner fuel at the same price as the old diesel.
On top of the smaller impact on the environment, Euro Diesel IV has benefits to the consumer. The new diesel gives better fuel efficiency due to its higher cetane content, which gives it a quicker burn and better ignition quality than Euro II diesel. The higher cetane also gives diesel engines better cold-start performance and a shorter engine delay even in the low-temperature, low-pressure environment of a long-idled engine. Euro Diesel IV also makes your engine run quieter. Euro
Diesel IV ignites before most of the fuel hits the combustion chamber. This translates into reduced knock intensity and a smoother, quieter ride. An independent study pegged the reduction in engine noise at about 12.5%, due to the increased cetane rating. The new fuel has also been tested to run perfectly with older (pre-2006) engines with no problem, even when mixed with other fuels. This means clean diesel for everyone from passenger jeepneys, long-haul trucks, buses, family vans and private vehicles.
If saving the world seems too much of an effort, you can do your part just by fuelling up. Head over to any ofthe Unioil branches. You get to save the
world and have a better ride at the same time. Euro IV compliant diesel, coupled with regular maintenance ensure cleaner emissions and a greener Earth.
Words by Ren Alcantara
First published in Gadgets Magazine February 2013