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ALTERNATIVE

FUELS

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ABSTRACT

“Necessity is the mother of invention. Energy crisis is the cry of future.” 

The historical and the present-day civilization are closely interwoven with

energy and in future, our existence will be more dependent upon energy. The conventional

sources of energy, the single most important pre-requisite for power generation, are depleting

fast. The world is heading towards a global energy crisis mostly due to running out of these

energy sources; decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels is recommended. Yet, the sources of

energy are infinite. The greatest task today is to exploit the non-conventional energy resources

for power generation.

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SR

NO.

CONTENTS PAGE

NO.

A)

B)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

C)

D)

LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTERS

INTRODUCTION TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS

BIOFUELS

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS

FUEL CELLS

PLASTEIC FUEL

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

1

2

3

6

8

9

10

11

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIG NO. TITLE PAGE NO

1. FUEL CELL HONDACLARITY FCX 8

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Rising oil prices and increasing awareness of the environmental impact of traditional fuels make

alternative-fuel vehicles attractive to owners of commercial/business fleets. Government

incentives and regulations are also pushing executives to explore alternative fuels. Indeed, many

countries and states/provinces already offer significant incentives for buying or converting to

alternative-fuel vehicles; in some regions regulations will eventually force the use of alternative

fuels.

Alternative fuels include compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG and,

most commonly, liquid propane), ethanol (liquid alcohol fuel typically made from corn),

methanol (liquid alcohol fuel produced from natural gas), biodiesel (vegetable oils combined

with ethanol or methanol), flex fuels (gasoline combined with ethanol or methanol), hydrogen

fuel cells, electric batteries and hybrid electrics (combination of gasoline and electric power).

Alternative-fuel preferences vary dramatically around the globe.

India is ranked 6th  in terms of energy demands but its domestic crude oil production satisfies

only ¼th of our current demands.

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CHAPTER 2

BIOFUELS

A biofuel is a fuel that contains energy from geologically recent carbon fixation. These fuels are

 produced from living organisms.  Examples of this carbon fixation occur

in  plants and microalgae.  These fuels are made by a  biomass conversion ( biomass refers to

recently living organisms, most often referring to  plants or plant-derived materials).

This  biomass can be converted to convenient energy containing substances in three different

ways: thermal conversion, chemical conversion, and biochemical conversion. This

 biomass conversion can result in fuel in solid,  liquid, or  gas form. This new  biomass can be used

for biofuels. Biofuels have increased in popularity because of rising oil prices and the need

for  energy security. 

FIRST GENERATION BIOFUELS

'First-generation' or conventional biofuels are made from sugar, starch, or vegetable oil.

BIOALCOHOLS

Biologically produced alcohols, most commonly ethanol, and less commonly propanol and

 butanol, are produced by the action of  microorganisms and enzymes through the fermentation of

sugars or starches (easiest), or cellulose (which is more difficult).  Biobutanol  (also called

 biogasoline) is often claimed to provide a direct replacement for gasoline, because it can be used

directly in a gasoline engine (in a similar way to biodiesel in diesel engines).

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Ethanol fuel is the most common biofuel worldwide. Alcohol fuels are produced by

fermentation of sugars derived from wheat, corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, molasses and any sugar

or starch from which alcoholic beverages can be made (such as potato and fruit waste, etc.). The

ethanol production methods used are enzyme digestion (to release sugars from stored starches),

fermentation of the sugars, distillation and drying. The distillation process requires significant

energy input for heat (often unsustainable natural gas fossil fuel, but cellulosic biomass such

as  bagasse, the waste left after sugar cane is pressed to extract its juice, can also be used more

sustainably). Ethanol can be used in petrol engines as a replacement for gasoline; it can be

mixed with gasoline to any percentage. Most existing car petrol engines can run on blends of up

to 15% bioethanol with petroleum/gasoline. Ethanol has a smaller  energy density than that of

gasoline; this means it takes more fuel (volume and mass) to produce the same amount of work.

ADVANTAGES

1.  Higher octane rating.

2.  Increases compression ratio and thermal efficiency.

3.  In high-altitude (thin air) locations, some states mandate a mix of gasoline and ethanol as

a winter  oxidizer to reduce atmospheric pollution emissions. 

4.  Reduces air pollutant emissions.

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BIODIESEL

It is produced from oils or fats using transesterification and is a liquid similar in composition to

fossil/mineral diesel. Chemically, it consists mostly of fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) esters

(FAMEs). Feedstocks for biodiesel include animal fats, vegetable

oils, soy, rapeseed,  jatropha, mahua, mustard, flax, sunflower , palmoil, hemp, field pennycress, 

Pongamia pinnata and algae.  Pure biodiesel (B100) is the lowest-emission diesel fuel.

Although liquefied petroleum gas and hydrogen have cleaner combustion, they are used to fuel

much less efficient petrol engines and are not as widely available.

Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine when mixed with mineral diesel. In some countries,

manufacturers cover their diesel engines under warranty for B100 use,

although Volkswagen of  Germany, for example, asks drivers to check by telephone with the VW

environmental services department before switching to B100. B100 may become more viscous at

lower temperatures, depending on the feedstock used. In most cases, biodiesel is compatible with

diesel engines from 1994 onwards, which use 'Viton'  (by DuPont)  synthetic rubber in their

mechanical fuel injection systems.

Electronically controlled 'common rail'  and 'unit injector '  type systems from the late 1990s

onwards may only use biodiesel blended with conventional diesel fuel. These engines have finely

metered and atomized multiple-stage injection systems that are very sensitive to the viscosity of

the fuel. Many current-generation diesel engines are made so that they can run on B100 without

altering the engine itself, although this depends on the fuel rail design. Since biodiesel is an

effective solvent and cleans residues deposited by mineral diesel,engine filters may need to be

replaced more often, as the biofuel dissolves old deposits in the fuel tank and pipes. It also

effectively cleans the engine combustion chamber  of carbon deposits, helping to maintain

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efficiency. Biodiesel is also an oxygenated fuel, meaning it contains a reduced amount of carbon

and higher hydrogen and oxygen content than fossil diesel. This improves the combustion of

 biodiesel and reduces the particulate emissions from unburnt carbon.

ADVANTAGES

1.  It is safe to handle and transport as it is biodegradable as sugar.

2.  It has a higher flash point value than petroleum diesel fuel.

BIOGAS

Biogas is produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of  organic material  by anaerobes.  It

can be produced either from  biodegradable waste materials or by the use of  energy crops fed

into anaerobic digesters to supplement gas yields. The solid byproduct, digestate, can be used as

a biofuel or a fertilizer.

Farmers can produce biogas from manure from their cattle by using anaerobic digesters.

SECOND GENERATION BIOFUELS

ALGAL FUEL

Algal fuel offers a estimate of realistic replacement of all vehicular fuels. They have a natural oil

content. This oil-rich algae can then be extracted from the system and processed into biofuels,

with the dried remainder further reprocessed to create ethanol. The production of algae to harvest

oil for biofuels has not yet been undertaken on a commercial scale, but  feasibility studies have

 been conducted to arrive at the above yield estimate.

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SYNGAS

Syngas, a mixture of  carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other hydrocarbons, is produced by partial

combustion of biomass, that is, combustion with an amount of  oxygen that is not sufficient to

convert the biomass completely to carbon dioxide and water. Before partial combustion, the

 biomass is dried, and sometimes  pyrolysed. The resulting gas mixture, syngas, is more efficient

than direct combustion of the original biofuel; more of the energy contained in the fuel is

extracted.

Syngas may be burned directly in internal combustion engines, turbines or high-temperature fuel

cells. The wood gas generator,  a wood-fueled gasification reactor, can be connected to an

internal combustion engine.

Syngas can be used to produce methanol, DME and hydrogen,  or converted via the Fischer-

Tropsch process to produce a diesel substitute, or a mixture of alcohols that can be blended into

gasoline. Gasification normally relies on temperatures greater than 700°C.

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CHAPTER 3

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS

CNG (Compressed natural gas) is a fossil fuel substitute for  gasoline (petrol), Diesel

fuel and  propane/LPG. Although CNG's combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is widely

considered a more environmentally "clean" alternative to conventional fuels. It is much safer

than other fuels in the event of a spill,  because natural gas is lighter than air and disperses

quickly when released. CNG may also be mixed with  biogas (which can be produced

from landfills or  wastewater ).

ADVANTAGES

  CNG does not contain any lead, thereby eliminating fouling of spark plugs.

  CNG-powered vehicles have lower maintenance costs than other hydrocarbon-fuel-powered

vehicles.

  CNG fuel systems are sealed, preventing fuel losses from spills or evaporation.

  Increased life of lubricating oils, as CNG does not contaminate and dilute the crankcase oil.

  Being a gaseous fuel, CNG mixes easily and evenly in air.

  CNG is less likely to ignite on hot surfaces, since it has a high auto-ignition temperature

(540 °C), and a narrow range (5 – 15 percent) of  flammability. 

  Less pollution and more efficiency: CNG emits significantly fewer pollutants

(e.g., carbondioxide (CO2), unburnedhydrocarbons(UHC), carbonmonoxide (CO), nit-rogen

oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and PM (particulate matter)  than petrol. For example, an

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engine running on petrol for 100 km emits 22 kilograms of CO2, while covering the same

distance on CNG emits only 16.3 kilograms of CO2.

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CHAPTER 4

FUEL CELLS

All fuel cells are made up of three parts: an electrolyte, an anode and a cathode. In principle, a

hydrogen fuel cell functions like a battery, producing electricity, which can run an electric motor.

Instead of requiring recharging, however, the fuel cell can be refilled with hydrogen. Different

types of fuel cells include Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells, Direct Methanol

Fuel Cells, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells, Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells,

and Regenerative Fuel Cells.

ADVANTAGES

1.  FCVs represent a radical departure from vehicles with conventional internal combustion

engines. Like battery-electric vehicles, FCVs are propelled by electric motors. But while

 battery electric vehicles use electricity from an external source (and store it in a battery),

FCVs create their own electricity from an onboard the vehicle creates electricity through

a chemical process using hydrogen fuel and oxygen fromthe air.

2.  FCVs can be fueled with pure hydrogen gas stored onboard in high-pressure tanks. They

also can befueled with hydrogen-rich fuels; such as methanol, natural gas, or even

gasoline; but these fuels must first be converted into hydrogen gas by an onboard device

called a "reformer."

3.  FCVS are fueled with pure hydrogen emit no pollutants; only water and heat; while those

usinghydrogen-rich fuels and a reformer produce only small amounts of air pollutants. In

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addition, FCVs canbe twice as efficient as similarly sized conventional vehicles and may

also incorporate other advanced technologies to increase efficiency.

FIG. 1 FUEL CELL HONDA FCX CLARITY

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV

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CHAPTER 5

PLASTIC FUEL

The process involves heating shredded plastic waste with coal and a secret chemical. This yields

around 1 litre of crude oil for every kilogram of waste plastic.

Using infra-red energy to remove hydrocarbons from plastic without the use of a catalyst,

transforming 82% of the original plastic material into fuel.

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CONCLUSION

Finally it can be inferred that of all the alternative fuels, hydrogen is the best and efficienct

alternate fuel for the internal combustion engines. It seems to be best alternate fuel because of its

silent characteristic like clean and high efficiency. But only drawback at present is handling and

storage problem apart from a best, most suitable and feasible way of producing it.

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REFERENCES

1.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_fuel

2.  http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/5-alternative-fuel-

ideas.htm