EPA and Lawn Mowers - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JenTay · #1 09-05-2008, 11:23 PM

Lawn mowers will be required to have catalytic converters starting in 2010 per the EPA. No joke.

I guess they realize that the Democrats are coming to power and want to get on their good side.

djugurba · #2 09-05-2008, 11:40 PM

Small engines like lawnmowers and leaf blowers pollute far more than cars.

When I lived in Georgia I worked with the Department of Natural Resources on a few projects. They did a presentation for our program during which this alarming stat was shared: The average lawnmower puts out the same amount of pollutants in one hour of mowing as the average car would put out driving from Atlanta to Dallas... and back.

I'm glad it's finally on the radar.

It's sad that it's a political issue.

Emmerich · #3 09-06-2008, 02:06 AM

I'll call you on that. There is NO WAY a mower in one hour can equal a 1600 mile car trip. The mower would burn its tank, which is what, 1/4 gallon or 1/2 gallon? A car would burn about 4 tank fulls for the average car, give or take, about 80 gallons.

Do the math, that claim is way over the top.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djugurba

Small engines like lawnmowers and leaf blowers pollute far more than cars.

When I lived in Georgia I worked with the Department of Natural Resources on a few projects. They did a presentation for our program during which this alarming stat was shared: The average lawnmower puts out the same amount of pollutants in one hour of mowing as the average car would put out driving from Atlanta to Dallas... and back.

I'm glad it's finally on the radar.

It's sad that it's a political issue.

Mistel · #4 09-06-2008, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmerich

I'll call you on that. There is NO WAY a mower in one hour can equal a 1600 mile car trip. The mower would burn its tank, which is what, 1/4 gallon or 1/2 gallon? A car would burn about 4 tank fulls for the average car, give or take, about 80 gallons.

Do the math, that claim is way over the top.

I agree that it sounds a bit over the top, but you have to remember that an engine burns many, many times more air than fuel when it is used. That is why burning 1/4 gallon of gas can produce 20, 80, ? or whatever, pounds of pollution.

I think two stroke engines are pretty disgusting.

In another thread I posted pictures of my solar panels. In one picture you can see my solar hot water system on my roof. It is on the back of my house. I didn't mean to do it, but one corner sticks out a bit past the ridge of the roof and you can see it from the street. This breaks a local bylaw that says you are not supposed to be able to see these things from the street.

It makes me absolutely, burning mad, crazy that I am breaking the rules by showing about 1 square foot of solar collector to the street, when some landscaping company can go around the town with thier screaming two stroke leaf blowers all day long. It makes me CRAZY! My neigbour can spread poison on thier front lawn to control weeds and I have to watch like a hawk that my 3 year old does not run on the lawn for who knows how many days?

Am I nuts? I hope other people see the insanity?

Medmech · #5 09-06-2008, 08:20 AM

Sorry about the science folks.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010529234907.htm

One Hour Of Grass Cutting Equals 100 Miles Worth Of Auto Pollution

ScienceDaily (June 1, 2001) — The air pollution from cutting grass for an hour with a gasoline-powered lawn mower is about the same as that from a 100-mile automobile ride, according to a new study from Sweden, which recommends using catalytic converters on mowers. The report is the first to compare lawn mower pollution with auto mileage, according to the researchers.

The recommendation is reported in the June 1 issue of Environmental Science & Technology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

One significant pollutant from mowers is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, said Roger Westerholm, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden. He claims such emissions, similar for both riding and push mowers, can be cut more than 80 percent using a catalytic converter like those used in automobiles.

Westerholm found that the worst case of lawn mower PAH emissions totaled more than 4,000 micrograms per hour using unleaded fuel without a catalytic converter. Average emissions dropped to nearly 800 micrograms over the same time period with the addition of a catalytic converter, he said. Some PAHs, including a few in lawn mower emissions, are classified as probable carcinogens by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Obviously, if catalysts will become mandatory on lawn mower engines, and possibly other small engines as well, a significant reduction of exhaust components will be achieved," Westerholm said.

In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the so-called "Phase I" rules, which mandated a 32 percent reduction in emissions for small "non-road" engines. This affects all engines less than 25 horsepower produced after 1997, including mowers, leaf blowers and chain saws. According to an EPA study prior to the Clean Air Act of 1990, small engines from lawn and garden equipment make up nearly 9 percent of some types of air pollution. While current mowers meet the reduced emissions standards, catalytic converters would lower emissions levels further, Westerholm said.

In the Swedish testing, the researchers used regular unleaded fuel in a typical four-stroke, four horsepower lawn mower engine and found, after one hour, that the PAH emissions are similar to a modern gasoline-powered car driving approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles). A typical push-type lawn mower is run for an average of 25 hours per year, according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. A higher-octane fuel known as alkylate also was tested and resulted in lower emissions. Alkylate is difficult to find in the United States and significantly more expensive than regular unleaded fuel in Europe.

Catalytic converters are already available on some European mowers, Westerholm reported. The pollution-control devices have been required on U.S. made cars since the late 1970s.

"Using a catalyst would help prevent most emissions from small engines," he said. "Of course, people could also use an electrical-powered lawn mower instead."

The research cited above was funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

Roger Westerholm, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the department of analytical chemistry at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden.

Emmerich · #6 09-07-2008, 06:56 PM

In your neighborhood analogy you are confusing the aesthetic issues with pollution issues. My sister lived in a condo where they had to approve the curtains based on how they looked from the outside. Pretty dumb I think since I believe as long as you are not infringing on another, you should be able to do whatever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistel

I agree that it sounds a bit over the top, but you have to remember that an engine burns many, many times more air than fuel when it is used. That is why burning 1/4 gallon of gas can produce 20, 80, ? or whatever, pounds of pollution.

I think two stroke engines are pretty disgusting.

In another thread I posted pictures of my solar panels. In one picture you can see my solar hot water system on my roof. It is on the back of my house. I didn't mean to do it, but one corner sticks out a bit past the ridge of the roof and you can see it from the street. This breaks a local bylaw that says you are not supposed to be able to see these things from the street.

It makes me absolutely, burning mad, crazy that I am breaking the rules by showing about 1 square foot of solar collector to the street, when some landscaping company can go around the town with thier screaming two stroke leaf blowers all day long. It makes me CRAZY! My neigbour can spread poison on thier front lawn to control weeds and I have to watch like a hawk that my 3 year old does not run on the lawn for who knows how many days?

Am I nuts? I hope other people see the insanity?

Brian Carlton · #7 09-06-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmerich

I'll call you on that. There is NO WAY a mower in one hour can equal a 1600 mile car trip. The mower would burn its tank, which is what, 1/4 gallon or 1/2 gallon? A car would burn about 4 tank fulls for the average car, give or take, about 80 gallons.

Do the math, that claim is way over the top.

Small, inefficient gas engines produce significantly more emissions per hour than the typical automobile engine. The emissions we're talking about are unburned hydrocarbons and CO.

It's agreed that the total carbon output of the small engine must be directly related to its fuel consumption.

djugurba · #8 09-06-2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmerich

I'll call you on that. There is NO WAY a mower in one hour can equal a 1600 mile car trip. The mower would burn its tank, which is what, 1/4 gallon or 1/2 gallon? A car would burn about 4 tank fulls for the average car, give or take, about 80 gallons.

Do the math, that claim is way over the top.

Wasn't my claim. But look at some science before dismissing things.

http://www.egr.msu.edu/erl/emiss/emiss.htm

kmaysob · #9 09-06-2008, 07:42 PM

the only way i will bring an old mower home anymore is if it is either a lawnboy,toro,or honda.

Mistel · #10 09-06-2008, 08:38 PM

Here is the solution. It is a cordless electric lawnmower cobbled together with two 12v solar panels I found on sale at Walmart. The panels produce enough electricity to recharge the batteries in about a week, so it should be able to keep up with the need to mow the lawn. These are cheap panels, sealed lead acid batteries, and a pretty crappy quality lawnmower. It was one of the earlier models and it overheats. I need to add a cooling fan, but it is low on the projects list.

My point is, if a company put some thought into it and put together a brushless motor and some lipo batteries and good panels, you could have a killer mower