Alcohols and its uses as

alternative fuel
Alternative fuels:
Alternative fuels are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than as non-conventional and
advanced fuels.

Some well-known alternative fuels include:

 Biodiesel
 Bio alcohol (methanol, ethanol, butanol, etc.)
 Refuse derived fuels
 Chemically stored electricity(batteries and fuel cells)
 Hydrogen
 Non-fossil methane
 Non-fossil natural gas
 Vegetable oil
 Propane
 Other biomass sources

Reasons for the demand of Alternative fuels:

 As increasing the vehicle numbers, demand for the crude oil and petroleum products are increasing day
by day.
 Limited petroleum based fuels.
 Highly polluted emissions are produced by these fuels.
 The main requirement of engines operating on alternative fuels to reduce exhaust emission and replace
these fuels with renewable and environmentally friendly fuels.
 It should be easily available and economically feasible.

ALCOHOLS
 The liquid fuels are chosen for IC (Internal combustion) engines because they are easy to store and have
reasonably good calorific value.
 The main alternative is the alcohol.
 Alcohols are attractive alternative fuels because they can be obtained from both natural and
manufactured resources.
 Alcohols, primarily ethanol and methanol, have been explored and have been used as alternative fuels
for internal combustion engines.
 ETHANOL
Ethanol fuel, also known as ethyl alcohol, is a biofuel derived from fermented biomass primarily plants and
crops.

Uses:
1. It is capable of mixing with water completely.
2. Its higher compression ratio allows more engine power.
3. It is safer for transportation and storage due to high auto ignition temperature than diesel fuel.
4. It reacts with rubber and causes clogging inside fuel pipe. Fluorocarbon rubber is recommended to use
instead of rubber.
5. Ethanol is commonly used as a bio-fuel, either as a pure substance (E100) or blended with gasoline (e.g.
E10, E15, E 85). The most widely used blend is E10 (10 % ethanol+90% gasoline).

Types of Ethanol Fuel:

1. E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline): Most common blend, compatible with most vehicles.
2. E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline): For flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) only.
3. E100 (100% ethanol): Used in Brazil, requires specialized vehicles.
4. Cellulosic Ethanol: Produced from non-food biomass (agricultural waste, grasses).
5. Advanced Ethanol: Produced from algae, agricultural waste, or municipal waste.

Advantages:
1. Renewable: Derived from biomass, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
2. Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Compared to gasoline, reduces CO2, particulate matter, and air
pollutants.
3. Domestic Production: Reduces reliance on foreign oil imports.
4. Engine Compatibility: Can be blended with gasoline, compatible with existing infrastructure.
5. Octane Boost: Enhances engine performance and efficiency.

Disadvantages:
1. Lower Energy Density: Ethanol contains 33% less energy than gasoline.
2. Water Absorption: Ethanol absorbs water, potentially causing engine issues.
3. Food vs. Fuel Debate: Land use competition, impacting food prices and availability.
4. Production Costs: Higher than gasoline production.
5. Infrastructure Limitations: Limited EBS fueling stations.

PRODUCTION
Step 1: Feedstock Collection

This step includes gathering corn, sugarcane, wheat, or other biomass materials from farms or storage facilities,
ensuring feedstock quality and moisture content.
Step 2: Milling

Grinding or crushing feedstock into a fine consistency to increase surface area, producing a flour-like material
for easier processing.

Step 3: Mixing with Water

 Combining milled feedstock with water in a large tank (mash tun).

 Creating a mash with optimal consistency for enzymatic breakdown.

Step 4: Heating and Enzyme Addition

 Heating the mash to activate enzymes (e.g., alpha- amylase, glucoamylase).

 Enzymes convert starches into fermentable sugars (dextrins, glucose).

Step 5: Fermentation

 Transferring mash to fermentation tanks Adding yeast (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or bacteria (e.g.
Zymomonas mobilis).
 Microorganisms convert sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide (CO2).
 Fermentation typically takes 40-50 hours.

Step 6: Distillation

 Transferring fermented broth to distillation columns.

 Separating ethanol from water impurities, and residual solids.
 Producing a concentrated ethanol stream (95-96% purity).

Step 7: Dehydration

 Further purifying ethanol using molecular sieves or azeotropic distillation.

 Removing excess water to produce anhydrous ethanol (99.5%+ purity).

Step 8: Denaturation (optional)

 Adding a denaturant (e.g., methanol, glycerin) to make ethanol unfit for human consumption.
 Required for non-beverage ethanol production.

Step 9: Blending.

Mixing anhydrous ethanol with gasoline to create various fuel blends

 E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline)

 E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline)
 Other blends (E20, E30, etc.)

Step 10: Quality Control and Distribution

 Testing final product for quality, purity, and blend accuracy.

 Storing ethanol fuel in tanks or containers
 Distributing to fueling stations, industrial users, or export markets.
 2(C6H10O5) + n H2O n (C12H22O11) + n (C6H12O6)

Starch Water Maltose Glucose

C12H22O11 + H2O Invertase C6H12O6 + C6H1206 Zymase 2C2H50H + 2CO2

Maltose Water Glucose Fructose Ethanol Carbon dioxide

 METHANOL
 The general chemical formula for this alcohol is CH3OH.
 It is light, colorless, volatile and flammable liquid with typical odour.
 It does not contain sulphur or complex organic compounds.

Uses:
 It gives higher thermal efficiency and emits less amount of emission.
 It has high octane number to use with higher compression ratio.

Benefits:
 Methanol is easier to produce from a variety of sources, including renewable ones.
 It burns cleanly, producing fewer pollutants compared to traditional fossil fuels.

Challenges:
 Methanol is corrosive and toxic, which prevents challenges for its storage, handling and use in existing
fuel infra -structure.
 Like ethanol, it also has a lower energy density than gasoline.
 It burns cleanly, producing fewer pollutants compared to traditional fossil fuels.

PRODUCTION
1. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen react over a catalyst (Cu and ZnO) to produce methanol. The steps are
given below:

2CO + 2H2 2CH3OH

CO + 3H2 CH3OH+ H2O

2. Methanol is primarily produced from natural gas but can also be made from biomass or even carbon
dioxide.
 BUTANOL

 The general chemical formula for alcohol fuel is C4H9OH.

 It is moderately soluble with water.
 It is considered as a bio-fuel because 85% strength can be used to run the gasoline without any changes.
 It is considered as toxic, than other alcohol fuels.

PRODUCTION
The most common process starts with propylene (C3H6) which is passing through a hydro formulation to
become butyraldehyde (C4H7OH) which is produced with hydrogen to butanol.

CH3CH=CH2 + H2 +CO CH3CH2CH2CHO

CH3CH2CH2CHO+H2 C4H9OH

APPLICATIONS OF ALCOHOLS AS FUEL

1. TRANSPORTATION:
Flex fuel vehicles: Many vehicles particularly in countries like Brazil and the United States are designed to run
on ethanol gasoline blends (like E85).

 Flex-fuel vehicles can switch between gasoline and ethanol or use a mix of both.
2. RACING:
Methanol and ethanol are used in some racing applications due to their high performance and clean burning
properties.

3. INDUSTRIAL AND POWER GENERATION:

Power plants: Ethanol and methanol can be used to generate electricity in power plants, either directly or as
part of a fuel cell system.

Backup generators: Methanol is sometimes used in fuel cells for backup power in remote or critical
applications.

4. COOKING AND HEATING:

STOVES: In some regions, alcohol based fuels are used in cooking stoves offering a cleaner alternative to
wood or charcoal.

ADVANTAGES OF ALCOHOL FUELS

1. Renewability: Ethanol and methanol can be produced from renewable resources, reducing dependence
on fossil fuels.
2. Environmental impact: When produced sustainably, alcohol fuels can significantly reduce greenhouse
gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.
 3. Energy security: Producing alcohol fuels domestically can enhance energy security by reducing
reliance on imported oil.

DISADVANTAGES OF ALCOHOL FUELS

1. Energy density: Both ethanol and methanol have lower energy densities than gasoline or diesel ,
requiring large volumes of fuel to achieve the same range.
2. Food vs. fuel: The use of crops like corn for ethanol production can drive up food prices and create
competition for agricultural resources.
3. Infrastructure compatibility: Alcohol fuels can be corrosive to existing fuel infrastructure, requiring
modifications or specialized equipment.

FUTURE PROSPECTS:

 Advances in technology such as the development of cellulosic ethanol and improvements in methanol
production from renewable sources could make alcohol fuels more sustainable and economically viable
in future.
 Research is also ongoing into optimizing engines and infrastructure for alcohol fuels, potentially
expanding their role in the global energy mix.