Better Bioblendstocks for Cleaner Diesel Vehicles

Biofuels Engine Design, Business News/Analysis, Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Agency/Executive Branch, Government Resources, Infrastructure, Performance, R & D Focus, Resources, Sustainability, Washington

August 4, 2021

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by Trevor Smith (U.S. Department of Energy) … But new fuel blendstocks from biomass and waste resources, combined with advanced engine designs, are bringing us ever closer to a vision of clean transportation. Achieving this vision is critical for meeting our nation’s renewed goals for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to address climate change.

The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies and Vehicle Technologies offices, is conducting research to help the nation achieve this vision. Co-Optima combines experts from national laboratories, universities, and industry to drive innovations in fuels and engines toward better fuel economy and vehicle performance while reducing emissions.

A new Co-Optima report identifies the top 13 blendstocks created from waste or biomass for use in diesel fuel that could not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but could lower the total cost of ownership of diesel vehicles. The benefits stem from three key areas of improvement across diesel system operations:

Less soot in engines, which reduces the complexity and expense of emissions control systems.
Improved hardiness in cold weather, with which some biodiesel engines struggle.
Higher cetane number, which eases blending into fuel refinery processes.

To arrive at their top 13, researchers identified the key biofuel properties that could reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxides—two of the four criteria pollutants regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—by enabling changes to engine operation. Candidate blendstocks were screened against these and other critical fuel properties to determine which had the greatest potential for performance improvements. READ MORE

Green Diesel for the Road Ahead: New report identifies top 13 biomass blendstocks to reduce vehicle emissions (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Top 13 Blendstocks Derived from Biomass for Mixing-Controlled Compression-Ignition (Diesel) Engines: Bioblendstocks with Potential for Decreased Emissions and Increased Operability (U.S. Department of Energy)

Excerpt from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: The work is sponsored by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office.

Top performing biomass blendstocks for diesel engines — The 13 top-performing blendstocks with the potential to reduce criteria and GHG emissions comprise 6 hydrocarbons, 3 esters, and 4 ethers. (Figure by Dan Gaspar | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

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Co-Optima previously identified the top 10 bioblendstocks for turbocharged engines using a similar tiered screening approach. READ MORE

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