Using Alternative Fuel Options

Whether or not gas prices stabilize to more affordable numbers, the price of petroleum is always going to be high. The U.S. has traditionally kept the price at the pump down, but as we have all seen over the past couple of years of occupying another nation and global warming, the cost of petroleum can be devastating. So what about using alternative fuels for transportation energy?

Alternative fuels defined.
According to the state of California, alternative fuels are vehicle fuels that aren't made from petroleum. This is not a new concept and has been shown to be possible at least as far back as the 1800's when Rudolf Diesel (yes, the inventor of the diesel engine) powered an engine on vegetable oil. And Henry Ford's first car was fueled by alcohol!

Several alternative vehicle fuels are available today. Depending on your location, there may be several that are close to your home. Here are some quick reviews of these fuel options:

Ethanol E85 (85 percent ethanol with 15 percent gasoline)
Ethanol (grain alcohol) is denatured motor fuel that is the same alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Often made from corn or other agricultural crops like sugarcane, this renewable fuel source can be grown in fields and has less green house emissions when burned. Every fuel pump in Brazil now has an ethanol option for people to choose from.

Methanol M85 (85 percent methanol and 15 percent gasoline)
Often called wood alcohol, methanol can be made from biomass resources, coal or, more commonly, from natural gas, which is currently cheaper. Methanol has lower energy (BTU) levels than ethanol and gasoline, but offers just as much power and is the required fuel for race cars in such races as the Indianapolis 500. One of the dangers of methanol is that,though it burns cooler than gasoline, it is very difficult to detect a flame during daylight, and an accidental fire is hard to see.

Compressed natural gas (CNG)
Many buses in larger metropolitan cities now run on CNG, which is made up primarily of methane with other components including butane, propane and ethane and with trace amounts of water vapor. The clean burning natural gas is found underground and is compressed and then stored in high-pressure cylinders.

Electricity (Battery Powered)
Electric vehicles (EV) are not new either, asthe early 1900s had more electric cars on the road than gas powered. There were 50,000 electric vehicles on US roads at one point, as they were favored over the hard-to-start, noisy and smoky gas powered option. Then the refining process of gas became cheaper, and the old hand-cranked starters were replaced with electric starters. The internal combustion engine also drove for longer periods, and the lure of the EV was lost. The limited ability of batteries to store power is the main problem with current EV models.

Hydrogen
Currently in the experimental stage, this highly promising fuel source is nearly pollution-free and, when burned, results in heat and water vapor with no carbon dioxide. Most hydrogen is currently made from natural gas, but it can be made by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The pitfall for using hydrogen is that it must be compressed and stored in cylinders, and, as a gas, it takes a great deal of volume...too much to be realistic at this point. Liquid hydrogen is more promising, but is very expensive.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
LNG is natural gas that has gone through liquefaction, a process that refrigerates the gas (at -260 degrees F), removing almost all of the water vapor and other gases. The process leaves a liquid that is over 98% pure methane.

Liquids made from coal
Gasoline and diesel can be made from coal, as can methanol and many other chemicals. Countries such as South Africa currently use this process, but these synthetic fuels are very expensive to produce compared to pumping from the ground.

Biodiesel
Everyday diesel engines can run on biodiesel with little or no modifications. This renewable fuel is biodegradable and made from either animal fat or plant oil, and it can be concocted by using waste oil from restaurants. Biodiesel has lower exhaust emissions than diesel fuel and is usually mixed with petroleum diesel in the most common form B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% diesel). Petroleum diesel is added to prevent biodiesel from gelling when temperatures drop. Biodiesel is available today in a limited, but growing supply. Of all alternative fuel options, biodiesel is best positioned to make its way into the mainstream dbecause it can be used immediately, and, because it includes petroleum, it will face the least resistance from oil companies.

Remember, YOU have the POWER!

By: BioD