Gasoline on the left, alcohol on the right at a filling station in Brazil

Rising energy prices and global warming have led to increased interest in alternative fuels. Alcohol has been used as a fuel in other points in history but fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world. Generally speaking, the chemical formula for alcohol fuel is C_nH_2n+2O. The larger n is, the higher the energy density. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 270 KB) Alcohol fuel pump in Brazil This image was originally posted to Flickr as One For You, One For Me. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 270 KB) Alcohol fuel pump in Brazil This image was originally posted to Flickr as One For You, One For Me. ... Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Modern filling station, Preem in Karlskrona, Sweden An Ampol station in Australia in the late 1940s. ... The following articles relate to the price of energy: Energy crisis The Price of Oil and The Economy Hubbert peak theory (peak oil) Energy economics Electricity market Categories: | ... Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ... Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. ... Energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume or per unit mass, depending on the context. ...

The first four aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol) are of interest as fuels because they can be synthesized biologically, and they have characteristics which allow them to be used in current engines. One advantage shared by all four alcohols is octane rating. Biobutanol has the advantage that its energy density is closer to gasoline than the other alcohols (while still retaining over 25% higher octane rating). In chemistry, non-aromatic and non-cyclic (acyclic) organic compounds are called aliphatic. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ... Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, slightly toxic chemical compound with a distinctive perfume-like odor, and is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. ... Propanol, also known as 1-propyl alcohol, is a higher alcohol with a three carbon atoms. ... Butanol or butyl alcohol (sometimes also called biobutanol when produced biologically), is an alcohol with a 4 carbon structure and the molecular formula of C4H10O. It is primarily used as a solvent, as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, and as a fuel. ... A gas station pump offering five different octane ratings. ... Butanol (butyl alcohol) is a higher alcohol with a 4 carbon atom structure and a general formula of C4H10O. There are 4 different isomeric structures for butanol (refer to box). ... Energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume or per unit mass, depending on the context. ...

Alcohol fuels are usually of biological rather than petroleum sources. When obtained from biological sources, they are sometimes known as bioalcohols (e.g. bioethanol). It is important to note that there is no chemical difference between biologically produced alcohols and those obtained from other sources. However, ethanol that is derived from petroleum should not be considered safe for consumption as this alcohol contains about 5% methanol and may cause blindness or death. This mixture may also not be purified by simple distillation, as it forms an azeotropic mixture. Biological material may refer to: Biological tissue, or just tissue Biomass, living or dead biological matter, often plants grown as fuel Biomass (ecology), the total mass of living biological matter Biomolecule, a chemical compound that naturally occurs in living organisms Biotic material, from living things Bio-based material, a processed... Pracsamp 07:34, 16 February 2007 (UTC)— Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Chemistry (from Persian language کیمیا Kimia and Greek χημεία khēmeía[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as gases, molecules, crystals, and metals. ... This article needs more context around or a better explanation of technical details to make it more accessible to general readers and technical readers outside the specialty, without removing technical details. ...

Bioalcohols are still in developmental and research stages. Use of optimized crops with higher yields of energy, elimination of pesticides and fertilizers based on petroleum, and a more rigorous accounting process will help improve the feasibility of bioalcohols as fuels. Brazil is by far the largest producer of alcohol fuel in the world, typically fermenting ethanol from sugarcane and sugar beets. Pracsamp 07:34, 16 February 2007 (UTC)— Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ...

Methanol and ethanol

Ethanol used as a fuel.

Main articles: Methanol fuel, Ethanol fuel

Methanol and Ethanol both hav advantages and disadvantages over fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel. For instance, both alcohols can run at a much higher compression ratio without octane-boosting additives (its octane rating is 129 (RON), equal to 102 (MON) or 116 (AKI) as opposed to approximately 91 (RON), 81 (MON), 86 (AKI) for ordinary European petrol; note that American 'regular-grade gasoline' is about 1 point higher on all 3 scales, but still offers very similar performance.) Ethanol burns more completely because ethanol molecules contain oxygen; carbon monoxide emissions are 100% lower than fossil-fuelled engines because the only products of an ethanol combustion reaction are carbon dioxide, water, and heat. Despite this reduction in carbon monoxide, ethanol releases as much or more carbon dioxide than its gasoline counterpart (though this carbon dioxide has previously been drawn from the air in biologically-produced ethanol, so there is no net modern release, as there is for fossil fuels). There are also lower NOx emissions, as ethanol needs more energy to vaporise than petrol - so it draws more heat out of the air in a cylinder than petrol, having a greater cooling effect, which reduces the opportunity for nitrogen and oxygen in the cylinder (as air) to fuse into poisonous nitrogen oxides. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x1024, 302 KB) Private photo released to the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x1024, 302 KB) Private photo released to the public domain. ... Methanol has been considered as a fuel, mainly in combination with gasoline. ... This article is about ethanol used as a fuel. ... Coal rail cars in Ashtabula, Ohio Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. ... Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol, in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), inventor of the diesel engine. ... Bold text The compression ratio is a single number that can be used to predict the performance of any engine (such as an internal-combustion engine or a Stirling Engine). ... A gas station pump offering five different octane ratings. ... Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas. ...

However, ethanol is degrading to some plastic or rubber parts of fuel delivery systems designed to use petrol, and has 37% less energy per litre than petrol. Methanol is even more corrosive and its energy per liter is 55% lower than that of petrol. High compression ratios and corrosion-resistant materials can overcome these issues, but require extensive engine modification.

Methanol has also been proposed as a fuel of the future. There has been extensive use of methanol fuel in Funny Cars for years, and it has been the fuel of IndyCar racing in North America since 1965. Unfortunately, although its octane rating is comparable to ethanol and it has similar emissions, it is also toxic (producing some toxic emissions, formaldehyde and formic acid), and has a lower (-38%) energy content than ethanol (-55% compared to petrol.) Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ... Methanol has been considered as a fuel, mainly in combination with gasoline. ... Modern Formula One Renault 1993 Indy Car Open wheel car is a term for cars, usually purpose built racecars, with the wheels located outside the cars main body, as distinct from cars which have their wheels below the body or fenders, in the manner of most street cars, stock...

Ethanol is already being used extensively as a fuel additive, and the use of ethanol fuel alone or as part of a mix with gasoline is increasing. In 2007, the Indy Racing League will use ethanol as its exclusive fuel, after 40 years of using methanol [1]. Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, slightly toxic chemical compound with a distinctive perfume-like odor, and is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. ... Isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol is a common name for propan-2-ol, a colorless, flammable chemical compound with the chemical formula CH3CHOHCH3. ... This article is about ethanol used as a fuel. ... The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel racing series. ...

Methanol combustion is: CH₄O + 1.5O₂ → CO₂ + 2H₂O + heat

Ethanol combustion is: C₂H₆O + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O + heat

Propanol and Butanol

Main article: Butanol fuel

Propanol and butanol are considerably less toxic and less volatile than methanol. In particular, butanol has a high flashpoint of 35 °C, which is a benefit for fire safety, but may be a difficulty for starting engines in cold weather. The concept of flash point is however not directly applicable to engines as the compression of the air in the cylinder means that the temperature is several hundred degrees Celsius before ignition takes place. Butanol may be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. ... R-phrases , , S-phrases , , , , , Flash point 15 °C RTECS number UH8225000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Butanol or butyl alcohol (sometimes also called biobutanol when produced biologically), is an alcohol with a 4 carbon structure and the molecular formula of C4H10O. It is primarily used as a solvent, as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, and as a fuel. ... The flashpoint of a fuel is the lowest temperature at which it can form an ignitable mix with air. ...

The fermentation processes to produce propanol and butanol from cellulose are fairly tricky to execute, and the Weizmann organism (Clostridium acetobutylicum) currently used to perform these conversions produces an extremely unpleasant smell, and this must be taken into consideration when designing and locating a fermentation plant. This organism also dies when the butanol content of whatever it is fermenting rises to 7%. For comparison, yeast dies when the ethanol content of its feedstock hits 14%. Specialized strains can tolerate even greater ethanol concentrations - so-called turbo yeast can withstand up to 16% ethanol [2]. However, if ordinary Saccharomyces yeast can be modified to improve its ethanol resistance, scientists may yet one day produce a strain of the Weizmann organism with a butanol resistance higher than the natural boundary of 7%. This would be useful because butanol has a higher energy density than ethanol, and because waste fibre left over from sugar crops used to make ethanol could be made into butanol, raising the alcohol yield of fuel crops without there being a need for more crops to be planted. Cellulose as polymer of β-D-glucose Cellulose in 3D Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is a long-chain polymeric polysaccharide carbohydrate, of beta-glucose [1][2]. It forms the primary structural component of green plants. ... Clostridium acetobutylicum () is a commercially valuable bacterium, included in the genus Clostridium. ... Typical divisions Ascomycota Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota Basidiomycotina (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are unicellular, eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi. ... Energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume or per unit mass, depending on the context. ...

Despite these drawbacks, DuPont, British Petroleum, and British Sugar Corporation have reportedly started to convert an ethanol plant in the United Kingdom to produce butanol fuel from sugar beets (and in the future perhaps other starting materials).[3] Enerey Environment International developed a method for producing butanol from biomass, which involves the use of two separate micro-organisms in sequence to minimize production of acetone and ethanol byproducts.[4] This article is about the DuPont company. ... This article is about the corporation known as BP. See also BP (disambiguation) BP (formerly British Petroleum and briefly known as BP Amoco) (NYSE: BP) is a petroleum company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. ... In 1936 the United Kingdom parliament nationalised the entire UK sugar beet crop processing industry to form the British Sugar Corporation. ... Butanol may be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... Butanol or butyl alcohol (sometimes also called biobutanol when produced biologically), is an alcohol with a 4 carbon structure and the molecular formula of C4H10O. It is primarily used as a solvent, as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, and as a fuel. ...

Propanol combustion is: C₃H₈O + 4.5O₂ → 3CO₂ + 4H₂O + heat

Butanol combustion is: C₄H₁₀O + 6O₂ → 4CO₂ + 5H₂O + 24kJ/mL

See also

• Anaerobic digestion
• Butanol
• Biogas
• Direct biofuel
• E85
• Energy development
• Ethanol fuel
• Hydrogen fuel
• Methanol fuel
• Propanol
• Timeline of alcohol fuel

Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. ... Butanol or butyl alcohol (sometimes also called biobutanol when produced biologically), is an alcohol with a 4 carbon structure and the molecular formula of C4H10O. It is primarily used as a solvent, as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, and as a fuel. ... Biogas-bus in Bern, Switzerland Biogas typically refers to a (biofuel) gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. ... Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass — recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts, such as manure from cows. ... Logo used in the United States for E85 fuel E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, by volume. ... It has been suggested that Comparison of power plants be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about ethanol used as a fuel. ... Hydrogen fuel is potentially an alternative to gasoline. ... Methanol has been considered as a fuel, mainly in combination with gasoline. ... R-phrases , , S-phrases , , , , , Flash point 15 °C RTECS number UH8225000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Apart from petroleum-derived gasoline and diesel, Ethanol is the main alcohol fuel used to run cars, other vehicles, and machinery. ...

External links

• Alcohol Stoves
• GTA Energy, Inc.