The potential of gaseous alternative fuels and legal conditions of their use in car engines and machines in the context of impacts on the environment

This publication presents the possibility of using gaseous alternative fuels, in particular based on methane, such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or agricultural biogas and hydrogen, which gain in popularity as fuels for engines used in the automotive industry, in the segment of both passenger cars and trucks. Increasing efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter into the atmosphere have been supported by legal environment shaped both at European Union level and in international regulations and translate into the growing importance of alternative gaseous fuels. This publication will present, among other things, the essential elements of "Clean energy for Transport", and "type approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions” directives and of the Kyoto 1997 Climate Change Conference. It also demonstrates potential economic benefits of replacing traditional fuels with alternatives gas fuels. Cities of Tychy and Gdynia, which implement environmentally friendly solutions for public transport services, will serve as an example. The publication also recognizes direct environmental benefits arising from the replacement of currently used fuels – gasoline and diesel – with natural gas and fuels derived from renewable energy sources. In particular, the following publication deals with the use of gases, which are a by-product of human activity – gases from animal breeding and coal, mine methane drainage.