This document discusses alternate synthetic fuels as alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. It covers several types of synthetic fuels including dimethyl ether (DME) and plastic-derived fuels. DME can be produced from biomass, methanol, or natural gas, and has benefits over diesel like lower emissions but challenges like higher vapor pressure. Plastic-derived fuels involve pyrolyzing plastic waste at high temperatures to produce synthetic crude or refined fuels without combustion. This process can help address the global plastic waste problem while producing a usable fuel.
2. Contents 01 Energy Crisis
Climate Change
Alternate Fuels - Why?
03 Production
Properties
Suitability
Dimethyl Ether
04 What are they?
Merits and Demerits
P-series fuels
05 Plastic waste problems
Plastic fuels
Method of preparation
Merits and demerits
Synthetic Plastic Fuels
02 Low emission fuels
Fuels from bio mass
Fuels derived from waste materials
Types
3. Energy Crisis
Increasing energy consumption
Residential use has doubled
Fossil fuels are running short
Transportation Consumption
almost 1/4th at stake
4. Climate Change
Scientific evidences for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
CO2 emission from various sources
Fuels with lower emissions or no emission
Alternative energy sources
Renewable fuels
5. The following fuels are defined as alternative fuels by the
Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 .
Alternative fuels, provided that the:
Fuel is substantially non-petroleum
yields substantial energy security benefits
Offers substantial environmental benefits
Electricity
Pure methanol
ethanol, and other alcohols
Blends of alcohols with gasoline
Natural gas
Liquid fuels from natural gas
Fuels- other than alcohol
P-series fuels
Coal-derived liquid fuels
Hydrogen
7. DME aka methoxymethane
Simplest ether
Colorless gas
Molar mass : 46.069 g·mol
−1
Melting point : −141 °C
Boiling point: −24 °C
Dipole moment : 1.3 D
Dimethyl Ether – C2H6O
8. Dimethyl Ether – C2H6O
Production:
DME can be produced from biomass, methanol, and fossil
fuels.
The likely feedstock of choice for large-scale DME
production is natural gas.
DME can be produced directly from synthesis gas
produced from natural gas, coal, or biomass.
It can also be produced indirectly from methanol via a
dehydration reaction.
11. DME is an synthetic alternative to diesel for
compression ignition diesel engines.
DME requires 75 psi pressure to be in liquid form,
which must be kept in pressurized storage tanks at an
ambient temperature.
The use of DME in vehicles requires fuel injection
system specifically developed to operate on DME.
There have been a number of DME vehicle
demonstrations, in a case 10 vehicles ran for 750,000
miles with out a glitch.
12. Benefits
Dimethyl ether has several fuel properties that make it
attractive for use in diesel engines
High cetane number
Efficiency and power rating are same for DME and
diesel
Because of its lack of carbon-to-carbon bonds it
virtually eliminate particulate emission.
However, DME has half the energy density of diesel
fuel, requiring a fuel tank twice as large as that needed
for diesel.
13. • Diesel-Like Performance
• Simpler engine results in lower maintenance costs
• No spark plug required
• Compression ignited, resulting in higher efficiency
• Sulfur-free
• Easier to control NOx
• Meets or exceeds strict emissions standards
• Non-toxic
• Rapid, low pressure dispensing
• Spillage will not contaminate soil
• Cost-Competitive
16. Demerits
Highly inflammable.
Higher vapor pressure.
Requires pressurized tanks.
Requires modification of fuel feed system.
Energy density is about half of diesel.
NOx emission is higher
Higher emission of hydrocarbons.
17.
18. P-Series Fuels
Renewable, non-petroleum, liquid fuels that can
substitute for gasoline.
They are a blend of approximately 25 ingredients.
About 32.5% is liquid by-products, known as "C5+" or
"pentanes-plus", which are left over when natural gas is
processed for transport and marketing.
Ethanol, from corn, comprises about 35%
Remaining 32.5% is MeTHF, an ether derived from
lignocelullosic biomass (waste paper / Food waste / Agro
wastes)
19. P-Series Fuels - Advantages
1. The need for non-petroleum energy sources
2. Affordability
3. Solid waste management
- control over a large portion of the generated trash
stream without relying on burning or burying.
- The feedstock is chemically digested - no combustion
with the accompanying toxic air emissions.
- Using feedstock with a negative cost.
20. Much like gasoline, P-Series fuels range from 89-93 octane
(mid-grade to premium). Can be formulated specifically for
winter or summer use.
Refueling with P-Series is as quick and familiar as with
gasoline.
The basic capability for utilizing P-Series in vehicles has
already been incorporated into methanol/ethanol flexible-fuel
vehicles (FFV's).
FFV's are designed to operate on alcohol, on gasoline, or
on any mixture of the two.
24. Fuel from Used Plastics
Non-recycled plastics into an array of fuels:
•Plastics are collected and sorted for recycling.
•They are heated in an oxygen-free environment, melted and
vaporized into gases.
•The gases are condensed into a variety of useful products.
• No combustion.
•Depending on the specific technology, products can include
synthetic crude or refined fuels.
25. The Technology: Pyrolysis
Thermal degradation process in the absence of oxygen.
No COX, NOX, SOX
Breaks large hydrocarbon chain into smaller ones
Requires higher temperature and high reaction time.
Resulting fluid have low octane value, higher pour
point of diesel and high residue content .
26. Steps Involved
• Plastic collected and segregated.
• Shredding of waste plastics to reduce volume.
• Pyrolzed in a cylindrical reactor at temperature of
300ºC – 350ºC.
• Plastics waste further cracked with catalyst and
resulting hydrocarbons.
• The vapours are condensed and collected in receiver.
• Liquid fuel fractionates to get diesel, kerosene, petrol
etc.
• The toxic gases evolved are treated separately.
27.
28. Efficiency and Yields
• The average percentage yield of various fuel
fractions by fraction distillation depending on
composition of waste plastics are Gasoline (60% )
and Diesel (30%).
• The percentage of liquid distillate is mentioned in
terms of weight by volume.
(Antony Raja and Advaith Murali 2011).