Lab 10: Alternative Fuels

Alternative fuels, known as non-conventional or advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels. Conventional fuels include: fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, propane, and  natural gas), as well as artificial radioisotope fuels that are made in nuclear reactors, and store their energy.

Some well-known alternative fuels include biodiesel, bioalcohol (methanol, ethanol, butanol), hydrogen, vegetable oil, and other biomass sources.

Biodiesel
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

Bioethanol

Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from agricultural feedstocks. It can be made from very common crops such as sugar cane, potato, and corn. There are concerns about its production and use as it relates to increased food prices due to the large amount of arable land required for crops.

Ethanol is a clear colorless liquid, biodegradable, and low in toxicity. The most common ethanol fuel blend is 10% ethanol and 90% petrol (E10). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on E10 and vehicle warranties are unaffected also.