Alternate fuels methanol

One strategy in limiting the formation of ozone and other photochemical oxidants has been the use (in the past) of low reactivity fuels in internal combustion engines. More recently, alternate fuels (methanol, for instance) have been proposed for regions that suffer from elevated levels of photochemical air pollution. The effect of switching to such a low-reactivity fuel may be seen in Equation E2 for methanol, which has a simple atmospheric reaction mechanism. 

Acetic acid process by methanol carboitylation introduced by Monsanto Arab oil enhatgoreassessment of alternative fuels Methanol-to-g3soline process introduced by Mobil Clain air regplations proposed by Bush administration Passage of die amended Clean Air Act in United States... 

In 1987 Seatde Metro purchased 10 new American built M.A.N. coaches powered by methanol. Six GM buses powered by DDC methanol engines entered revenue service at Triboro Coach in Jackson Heights, New York, 2 GM buses in Medicine Hat Transit in Medicine Hat, Manitoba, and 2 Flyer coaches in Winnipeg Transit, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. An additional 45 DDC powered methanol buses were introduced in California as indicated by Table 4. Figure 11 shows the distance accumulation of alternate-fueled buses in the four California transit properties. 

In reviewing the fiiU range of health and safety issues associated with all alternative fuels, the California Advisory Board determined that there were no roadblocks that would prevent the near term deployment of either methanol or ethanol, assuming that adequate safety practices were foUowed appropriate to the specific nature of each fuel (14). 

R. A. Potter, "Neat Methanol Fuel Injection Fleet Alternative Fuels Study," paper presented at Eourth Washington Conference on Alcohol, Washiagton, D.C.,Nov. 1984. 

Alternative fuels fall into two general categories. The first class consists of fuels that are made from sources other than cmde oil but that have properties the same as or similar to conventional motor fuels. In this category are fuels made from coal and shale (see Fuels, synthetic). In the second category are fuels that are different from gasoline and diesel fuel and which require redesigned or modified engines. These include methanol (see Alcohol fuels), compressed natural gas (CNG), and Hquefted petroleum gas (LPG). 

In the United States, in particular, recent legislation has mandated sweeping improvements to urban air quality by limiting mobile source emissions and by promoting cleaner fuels. The new laws require commercial and government fleets to purchase a substantial number of vehicles powered by an alternative fuel, such as natural gas, propane, electricity, methanol or ethanol. However, natural gas is usually preferred because of its lower cost and lower emissions compared with the other available alternative gas or liquid fuels. Even when compared with electricity, it has been shown that the full fuel cycle emissions, including those from production, conversion, and transportation of the fuel, are lower for an NGV [2]. Natural gas vehicles offer other advantages as well. Where natural gas is abundantly available as a domestic resource, increased use... 

The lower energy density of alternative fuels is even more problematic for aircraft. Methanol has been sug-... 

The following three sections of this chapter examine how the vapor pressure varies with composition when both components of a mixture are volatile and how that information can be used to separate them by distillation. Distillation, which we first encountered in Section G, is used to separate the many compounds that make up petroleum and to purify alternative fuels such as ethanol and methanol. 

Chapter one is an overview of the energy evolution. It introduces the technology and emission issues, safety, and alternative fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen gas, methanol, ethanol and fuel cell power. 

Alternative fuel programs is the theme of Chapter three. Subjects include hydrogen, methanol, syn gas, biofuels, fueling methods, safety and storage. The chapter ends with a discussion of cost issues. 

Technological changes in the manufacture of power sources are required if they are to run on alternative fuels. The development of alternative fuels depends on automotive manufacturers making alternative fuel engines available while fuel suppliers produce and distribute fuels for these vehicles. Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are also known as variable fuel vehicles, (VFVs) are designed to use several fuels. Most of the major automobile manufacturers have developed FFV prototypes and many of these use ethanol or methanol as well as gasoline. 

Methanol also seems to biodegrade quickly when spilled and it dissolves and dilutes rapidly in water. It has been recommended as an alternative fuel by the EPA and the DOE, partly because of reduced urban air pollutant emissions compared to gasoline. Most methanol-fueled vehicles use a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline called M85. Building a methanol infrastructure would not be as difficult as converting to hydrogen. While methanol can be produced from natural gas, it can also be distilled from coal or even biomass. In the 1980s, methanol was popular for a brief time as an internal-combustion fuel and President Bush even discussed this in a 1989 speech. 

The United States passed the Energy Policy Act in 1992. One goal was to reduce the amount of petroleum used for transportation by promoting the use of alternative fuels in cars and light trucks. These fuels included natural gas, methanol, ethanol, propane, electricity, and biodiesel. Alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) can operate on these fuels and many are dual fueled also running on gasoline. 

A variety of alternative fuels, including LPG, CNG, ethanol, methanol, as well as electricity, have been implemented on a small scale in the USA, but with limited success - the total number of alternative fuelled vehicles remains less than 1 % of the total fleet (Davis and Diegel, 2007). The largest alternative fuel used in the USA is ethanol derived from corn, which is currently blended with gasoline up to 10% by volume in some regions, and accounts for 3% of US transportation energy use. 

Fuels cells are of interest both from energetic and environmental considerations. When methanol is fed directly to an anode, as in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells , electric power is generated, making the devices suitable for small and lightweight uses [53], Alternative fuels such as polyhydric alcohols like ethylene glycol and glycerol are much less volatile and toxic, on the one hand, and electrochemically oxidizable on the other [54]. Therefore, the electrochemical oxidation of various polyhydric alcohols has been investigated in acidic as well as in alkaline conditions. 

E. Peled, T. Duvdevani, A. Aharon, and A. Melman, New fuels as alternatives to methanol for direct oxidation fuel cells, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 4(4), A38-A41 (2001). 

Figure 4.1 shows the whole sale prices of a number of possible alternative fuels on an energy equivalent basis compared to conventional gasoline (AlCHE, 1997). Only compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) appear to have some economic advantage relative to gasoline while ethanol, methanol and electricity are at a severe economic disadvantage (Piel, 2001). 

Gasoline Ethanol Methanol Fig. 4.1 Economics of gasoline alternative fuels... 

Alternative fuels Liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), Ethanol, 85% (E85), Ethanol, 95% (E95), Methanol, 85% (M85), Methanol, neat (MlOO), Compressed natural gas (CNG), Liquefied natural gas (LNG), Biodiesel (BD), Hydrogen, and Electricity... 

Alternative fuels can be used to power a fuel cell such as hydrogen, methane, natural gas, methanol, ethanol, liquehed petroleum gas and landfill gas, which can be produced from renewable energy sources such as biomass and wind. 

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