Ethanol for gasoline

While ethanol from wood sugars has not been part of that program, the successful substitution of ethanol for gasoline commercially has raised the prospect of a large market outlet, and the rapidly increasing price of gasoline here suggests that the economics, if not favorable now, may become so in a foreseeable future. 

Fuel processor for 5 kW PEM fuel cell unit Combined-cycle power generation Production of low-sulfur diesel fuel Waste-fuel upgrading to acetone and isopropanol Conversion of cheese whey (solid waste) to lactic acid Ethanol for gasoline from com symp... 

Global population growth is about 1.3% every year, and the population is expected to reach seven billion by 2015 and nine billion by 2050 [1], In the time it takes to read this sentence, another 20 people will have been added to the world s population [2], The number of malnourished people in the world has been estimated at 852 million. Each year, hunger and malnutrition are responsible for the deaths of six million children. In want of food, people plow forests and the world annually loses 9.4 million hectares of forests [3]. A hectare (ha) is 10,000 square meters and 9.4 million ha is about 36,000 square miles or about the size of the entire state of Indiana. Exacerbating the food problem is the use of crops as fuel. For example, in the United States, com is used to make ethanol for gasoline. In Brazil, sugar cane is used. There are other efforts to use crops such as soybean for biodiesel. It has been estimated that food production will have to increase 70% by 2050 to feed the growing population [4]. 

The engine was the first to incorporate compression ignition of alcohols (7). Low cetane fuels can autoignite, however, provided the in-cylinder temperature is high enough and fuel injection correcdy timed. This compression ignition works for methanol as well as ethanol and gasoline. 

Capacity Limitations and Biofuels Markets. Large biofuels markets exist (130—133), eg, production of fermentation ethanol for use as a gasoline extender (see Alcohol fuels). Even with existing (1987) and planned additions to ethanol plant capacities, less than 10% of gasoline sales could be satisfied with ethanol—gasoline blends of 10 vol % ethanol the maximum volumetric displacement of gasoline possible is about 1%. The same condition apphes to methanol and alcohol derivatives, ie, methyl-/-butyl ether [1634-04-4] and ethyl-/-butyl ether. 

Demand for gasoline is 125 billion gals (473 billion 1) per year according to 1998 estimates. The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 mandates the use of oxygenated fuels such as ethanol blends with up to 3.5 percent oxygen by weight in gasoline (E-10 or... 

Benzol and other alcohol-hased additives improved octane number, up to a point. Experiments using alcohol (ethanol, methanol) as a replacement for gasoline began as early as 1906. In 1915, Hetu-y Ford announced a plan to extract alcohol from grain to power his new Fordson tractor, an idea that never achieved commercial success. 

Isopropanol is a colorless liquid having a pleasant odor it is soluble in water. It is more soluble in hydrocarbon liquids than methanol or ethanol. For this reason, small amounts of isopropanol may be mixed with methanol-gasoline blends used as motor fuels to reduce phase-separation problems. ... 

Other possibilities for the transformation of ethanol into gasoline are ... 

Ethanol has a lot of uses fuel, solvent, antifreeze agent, and mood-modifying substance for people. Automobiles, if suitably modified, can run on pure ethanol or, more commonly, on ethanol mixed with gasoline. In the United States gasohol is typically 10% ethanol/90% gasoline. Less conunon is E-85, which, as the name implies, is 85% ethanol. 

This would represent a very good price for industrial ethanol. It is still too high for gasoline, even taking into account expected gasoline prices as now projected for the next decade, unless unforseen shortages impose special advantages for this type of motor fuel. 

---