Stockholm, Jan 17: Rapeseed oil used as a green alternative toconventional vehicle fuels, can produce 10 times more cancer-causingemissions and pollutants than diesel, a Swedish research report showed onTuesday.Rapeseed oil or rapeseed methyl ester (RME) has been considered one of thebest alternatives among bio-diesels. Its use as a green alternative wasrising in Europe, especially in Germany, Associate Professor Jim Olsson atthe Department of Physical Chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology,in the southwestern city of Gothenburg said.In the study, scientists burned rapeseed oil at temperatures equivalent tothose in a combustion engine and compared the emissions with those formedwhen burning a superior grade of diesel oil, SEC1. "Rapeseed oil and RMEproduced factor 10 more 1-alkenes, dienes and benzene in comparison withdiesel SCE1," the report said. "The reactive intermediate organiccompounds produced during oxidation of rapeseed oil, and RME have strongozone forming potentials. Subsequently they can promote formation oforganic smog," it said.Some of the rapeseed products such as alkene, 1.3 butadiene and benzeneare also considered to be carcinogenic, it added. "When it comes toalternative fuels people often advocate the advantages and overlook thedisadvantages. I think this is a disadvantage, which has been overlooked,"Mr Olsson said.Somewhat lower and less dangerous emissions could be achieved if engineswere optimised for rapeseed oil, but this would only reduce, noteliminate, the disavantage compared with diesel, he said, adding: "Peopletend to use them (rapeseed oils) in ordinary diesel engines, and that is aproblem."(Reuters)