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Alternative Fuels for Transportation
from World War I and II in the twentieth century. In the United States, a
federal ethanol program was started during the energy crisis in the 1970s.
The clean air act of 1970 allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to set standards for vehicular emissions. This led to a requirement of oxygenated fuels to reduce the vehicular emissions from gasoline engines. The
requirement corresponded to approximately 7.5% ethanol or 15% methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline by volume.
Gasoline powered vehicles typically emit less particulate matter (PM) compared to diesel powered vehicles. Research has shown that ethanol blended
with gasoline could reduce environmental pollution and also slow depletion of petroleum reserves. Because of these benefits, many countries started
using ethanol as a substitute or partial replacement for gasoline or diesel. If
ethanol can be produced abundantly and economically, it will be an attractive alternative fuel for spark ignition (SI) engines. It can be used either as
neat fuel or as a gasoline blend. Both options provide some advantages for
engine performance, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions. The predominant use of ethanol as a fuel has been in the form of a gasoline-blending component to power SI engines. Its high octane number makes it attractive for
use in such engines.
With the rapidly expanding production of ethanol and its lower cost relative to petroleum-based fuel in countries such as Brazil, interest in using
ethanol as a blending component in diesel fuel has naturally occurred.
Alternative methods of introducing ethanol into a compression-ignition engine such as fumigation have also been explored (Shropshire and
Goering 1982). In the 1970s such interest was driven by a global fuel crisis
and ethanol–diesel blends became an important topic of research (Hansen,
Zhang, and Lyne 2005). From the late 1990s onward, renewed efforts in establishing the viability of ethanol–diesel blends as a commercial fuel took place.
The U.S. Department of Energy published a study concerning the technical
barriers to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel (McCormick and Parish 2001).
Studies into creating stable ethanol–diesel blends with properties that were
a closer match to diesel fuel were conducted. Moreover, laboratory and field
tests have been performed to evaluate the impact of ethanol on compressionignition engine performance, emissions, and durability.
The phase out of MTBE as a gasoline additive in California and several
other U.S. states has generated renewed interest in the use of ethanol as a
gasoline oxygenate. Worldwide, ethanol can be used at approximately 8%v
in oxygenated gasoline or approximately 6%v in reformulated gasoline
(RFG). The most significant use of ethanol in vehicles started in Brazil in
1970s. In that country, the National Alcohol Program was created to cope
with the high oil prices of the 1970s and 1980s. Federal incentives, in combination with the participation of the automobile industry and the strong
environmental appeal, made the program a success (EPA 2001). Linked with
production and utilization is the need for fuel quality regulation to ensure
engine compatibility and safety.
Alternative Fuels for Transportation
from World War I and II in the twentieth century. In the United States, a
federal ethanol program was started during the energy crisis in the 1970s.
The clean air act of 1970 allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to set standards for vehicular emissions. This led to a requirement of oxygenated fuels to reduce the vehicular emissions from gasoline engines. The
requirement corresponded to approximately 7.5% ethanol or 15% methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline by volume.
Gasoline powered vehicles typically emit less particulate matter (PM) compared to diesel powered vehicles. Research has shown that ethanol blended
with gasoline could reduce environmental pollution and also slow depletion of petroleum reserves. Because of these benefits, many countries started
using ethanol as a substitute or partial replacement for gasoline or diesel. If
ethanol can be produced abundantly and economically, it will be an attractive alternative fuel for spark ignition (SI) engines. It can be used either as
neat fuel or as a gasoline blend. Both options provide some advantages for
engine performance, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions. The predominant use of ethanol as a fuel has been in the form of a gasoline-blending component to power SI engines. Its high octane number makes it attractive for
use in such engines.
With the rapidly expanding production of ethanol and its lower cost relative to petroleum-based fuel in countries such as Brazil, interest in using
ethanol as a blending component in diesel fuel has naturally occurred.
Alternative methods of introducing ethanol into a compression-ignition engine such as fumigation have also been explored (Shropshire and
Goering 1982). In the 1970s such interest was driven by a global fuel crisis
and ethanol–diesel blends became an important topic of research (Hansen,
Zhang, and Lyne 2005). From the late 1990s onward, renewed efforts in establishing the viability of ethanol–diesel blends as a commercial fuel took place.
The U.S. Department of Energy published a study concerning the technical
barriers to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel (McCormick and Parish 2001).
Studies into creating stable ethanol–diesel blends with properties that were
a closer match to diesel fuel were conducted. Moreover, laboratory and field
tests have been performed to evaluate the impact of ethanol on compressionignition engine performance, emissions, and durability.
The phase out of MTBE as a gasoline additive in California and several
other U.S. states has generated renewed interest in the use of ethanol as a
gasoline oxygenate. Worldwide, ethanol can be used at approximately 8%v
in oxygenated gasoline or approximately 6%v in reformulated gasoline
(RFG). The most significant use of ethanol in vehicles started in Brazil in
1970s. In that country, the National Alcohol Program was created to cope
with the high oil prices of the 1970s and 1980s. Federal incentives, in combination with the participation of the automobile industry and the strong
environmental appeal, made the program a success (EPA 2001). Linked with
production and utilization is the need for fuel quality regulation to ensure
engine compatibility and safety.