The emission characteristics of methanol and compressed natural gas in light vehicles
Research into non-petroleum fuels in the late 1960s was motivated by the realization that combustion of gasoline and diesel fuels was responsible for a large portion of urban air pollution. Alternative fuels became an energy policy issue in the 1970s for two reasons: the oil price fluctuations of that decade emphasized the need for the nation to reduce its dependence on imported petroleum, and emissions from new gasoline-fueled vehicles were substantially reduced through the application of progressively more sophisticated control systems. Today, air quality concerns have renewed interest in alternative fuels, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State regulator agencies alike examining every opportunity to reduce emissions. The purpose of this paper is to identify the emissions reductions available through the use of methanol and compressed natural gas (CNG) in light-duty vehicles (i.e., passenger cars and light trucks), by projecting realistic emission factors for these fuels and comparing these to emission factors for gasoline vehicles. Since publication of the most recent EPA report on this subject, the authors have performed additional testing, particularly with CNG vehicles. This paper outlines some of the non-emissions issues that are relevant in any overall evaluation of the potential of methanol and/or CNG to become primary motor vehicle fuels.
- OSTI ID:
- 6956142
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-880679--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
AIR QUALITY
ALCOHOL FUELS
AUTOMOTIVE FUELS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
CONTROL
DIESEL FUELS
EMISSION
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FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GASOLINE
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NATURAL GAS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
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SYNTHETIC FUELS
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