Ethanol and Methanol as Biofuels for Internal Combustion Engines in Motor Vehicles: Ethanol and Methanol can replace Petrol (Gasoline) with minor vehicle and fuel-storage modifications
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and Methanol (methyl alcohol aka wood alcohol) can be used to fuel internal combustion motor vehicles, either as sole fuels or, more usually, when mixed with petrol (gasoline). As a warning, in case you think these alcohols are a cheap way of fuelling your cocktail cabinet, note that this ethanol is of a dangerously high proof and contains additives which make it poisonous (it is referred to as denatured alcohol). Methanol is well known to be a dangerous poison in its own right.
There are two generic sources of biofuels (for both biodiesel and methanol) referred to as biomass feedstock [1]. They are ‘first generation’ which comprise grain and other vegetable crops grown for their sugar, starch and oil content. Then there are the ‘next generation’ sources which comprise cellulose rich sources including wood, tall grasses, crop residues and municipal waste organics. The latter are dependent on developing technology to improve yields. Two technologies are favoured: gasification and hydrolysis using enzymes. These methods should enable next-generation to become competitively priced with first-generation sources but with the big advantages of offering the potential to dramatically increase the amounts of biofuels produced and with far less impact on the environment and ecology.
Most contemporary petrol cars will run on E10, a 10% mixture of ethanol to petrol, although warranties may state that a mix of 5% is the maximum allowed. Many major car manufacturers have developed cars which run on fuels containing higher proportions of alcohol, typically E85. Ethanol has some properties which are different from petrol; for example, in car engines, it has a higher octane rating, is more corrosive and abrasive, cleans the old deposits away (hence fuel filters, in converted vehicles, may need changing after a short time, initially), may create minor flow problems and can make starting more difficult. The national distribution network will also require modifications to some of its components, mainly because of the corrosive properties of alcohol and its ability to mix with water.
In the UK, in 2005, tax concessions for ethanol encouraged a minor shift and a 5% ethanol mixture entered the retail market. A firm called Greenenergy pioneered this and Tesco have been reported as the retailers (mainly in SE England), the ethanol source being Brazilian sugar cane. The real motivation may be cost (although the reduction in price to the UK customer is small) but even so that is no bad thing. In 2006 another supermarket, Morrisons, started selling E85 bio-ethanol in East Anglia. The 5% mix can be used in most petrol vehicles but the 85% mix is limited to a very small number of current vehicles. It is hoped that the trend continues with a significant expansion of the use of bio-ethanol in the UK, and other sources will be created, prodded by expected government policies. These are needed if vehicle manufacturers are to be tempted and oil companies are to be ‘persuaded’. The way that the fuel distributors work means that they all need to cooperate for a substantial conversion to take place.
Please read more with thanks from the source: http://www.envocare.co.uk/ethanol.htm
Author: Dr. Harmander Singh
Be Happy Philselfologically: The Research on Free and Renewable Energy as Quantum, Classical and Sacred Systems! 🙂
