Transcript Daniel
Ethanol vs biodiesel replacement for gasoline By Daniel A Karcis Ethanol Production • Ethanol is produced from plant matter that is broken down into simple sugars and starches and then fermented and distilled into alcohol. • Corn, sugarcane, barley, and sunflowers are the most commonly used plants in ethanol production. Ethanol fuel cell • Ethanol can be mixed with gas in concentrations up to 85% for flex fuel engines but if you wanted to use pure ethanol you would need a fuel cell. • The fuel cell would be made of a anode (positive) a cathode (negative) and a proton exchange membrane surrounded by a electrolyte catalyst. This type of engine can handle pure ethanol but should be kept clean. Ethanol pros and cons • Pros ethanol is a renewable resource, no specific vehicle is needed to use ethanol in concentrations under 10%, reduces air pollution, ethanol prevents engine knocking and increases gasoline lubricity, and ethanol is inexpensive to produce. • Cons ethanol has higher green house gas emissions than gasoline, there is not enough room to grow the crops to supply demand, and ethanol contains less energy than gasoline. Bio diesel production • Biodiesel is most commonly made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol producing fatty acid esters. • The Fischer tropsch process polymerizes sygnas into diesel range hydrocarbons. • Or you could gassify the hydrocarbons out of the plant material itself. Bio diesel engines • Biodiesel can be put in any diesel engine in concentrations up to 20% or B20. • Bio diesel can be put purely in most newer diesel engines and most older engines with some small modifications. Bio diesel pros and cons • Pros biodiesel is domestically produced through non petroleum renewable resources, can be used in most diesel engines, has less air pollutants and green house gasses then gasoline, it is biodegradable, non toxic, and safe to handle. • Cons use of blends above B5 not yet warranted, lower fuel economy and power, currently more expensive, and B100 mixture destroys big engines faster and freezes in low temperatures.