Ethanol Fuel revisited

[SagaLore]

Opening up a new thread, a continuation from this ethanol fuel discussion

I just came across this today.

Turning hydrogen and carbon dioxide into ethanol

There we go, solving the economic loss in mass producing ethanol alcohol from corn/grain. We've had the technology to use enzymes to make alcohol from cellulose byproducts, but now we can skip that step and pull the CO2 out of the air ourselves.

😀

 

[Beau]

Any special mods need to be done to car to burn this? What about engine longevity -- any effect?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Beau
Any special mods need to be done to car to burn this? What about engine longevity -- any effect?

I wouldn't even suggest it. To maximize the fuel efficiency of ethanol in an internal combusion engine, I would just redesign the engine. I've been working on a wankel rotary design that burns ethanol using a diesel stroke (mentioned a few times in other threads).

Everyone has been gunho on hydrogen, but how do you safely and cost-effectively store it and move it? By taking that hydrogen production and processing it into alcohol, you have a better means of using it. I'd prefer it over fuel cells because I don't want to be stuck going 35mph max on a highway...

And gas stations could easily retrofit one of their tanks for ethanol fuel. You have to build new stations for hydrogen and fuel cells.