Alcohol fuel

About: Alcohol fuel is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2030 publications have been published within this topic receiving 42757 citations.

MoS2/Ni3S2/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanostructure as an Electrocatalyst for Alcohol Fuel Cells

Abstract: The development of active and stable catalysts is essential for the commercialization of direct alcohol fuel cells. In this work, we introduce a MoS2/Ni3S2/rGO catalyst as a cost-effective, stable, and high-performance catalyst for application in alcohol fuel cells. MoS2/Ni3S2 and its hybrid with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are synthesized and evaluated as nanocatalysts in the alcohol (methanol and ethanol) electro-oxidation process in alkaline media. The effects of temperature and scanning rate are investigated. Voltammetry results show that MoS2/Ni3S2/rGO has good catalytic efficiency and excellent stability of 106 and 104% after 200 consecutive CV cycles for MOR and EOR, respectively. The synergic effect of starfish Ni3S2 and the coated porous MoS2 facilitates the absorption of hydroxyl ions and alcohols on the surface of the catalyst, while rGO enlarges the specific surface area and the electrical conductivity of the electrocatalyst.

Comparison of flexible fuel vehicle and life-cycle fuel consumption and emissions of selected pollutants and greenhouse gases for ethanol 85 versus gasoline.

Abstract: The objective of this research is to evaluate differences in fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) operated on ethanol 85 (E85) versus gasoline. Theoretical ratios of fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for both fuels are estimated based on the same amount of energy released. Second-by-second fuel consumption and emissions from one FFV Ford Focus fueled with E85 and gasoline were measured under real-world traffic conditions in Lisbon, Portugal, using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS). Cycle average dynamometer fuel consumption and emission test results for FFVs are available from the U.S. Department of Energy, and emissions certification test results for ethanol-fueled vehicles are available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On the basis of the PEMS data, vehicle-specific power (VSP)-based modal average fuel and emission rates for both fuels are estimated. For E85 versus gasoline, empirical ratios of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions agree within a margin of error to the theoretical expectations. Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were found to be typically lower. From the PEMS data, nitric oxide (NO) emissions associated with some higher VSP modes are higher for E85. From the dynamometer and certification data, average hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission differences vary depending on the vehicle. The differences of average E85 versus gasoline emission rates for all vehicle models are -22% for CO, 12% for HC, and -8% for NOx emissions, which imply that replacing gasoline with E85 reduces CO emissions, may moderately decrease NOx tailpipe emissions, and may increase HC tailpipe emissions. On a fuel life cycle basis for corn-based ethanol versus gasoline, CO emissions are estimated to decrease by 18%. Life-cycle total and fossil CO2 emissions are estimated to decrease by 25 and 50%, respectively; however, life-cycle HC and NOx emissions are estimated to increase by 18 and 82%, respectively.