Alternative
fuels, what are they and how do they affect the environment?
The US Department of Energy has a website
devoted to energy efficiency and renewable energy at
http://www.eere.energy.gov/ which discusses at length the
various alternative fuels as well as other energy saving
alternatives. The Alternative Fuels Data Center website (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/)
discusses the various fuels and how they impact the
environment. Using these alternative fuels in vehicles can
generally reduce harmful pollutants and exhaust emissions.
Reducing the harmful exhaust emissions that lead to formation of
ozone is very beneficial to the local Charlotte area’s
non-attainment status. In addition, most of these fuels can be
domestically produced and derived from renewable sources.
Approved alternative fuels meeting the
requirements of EPAct of 1992 (http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/epact/)
include
ethanol,
natural gas,
propane,
hydrogen,
biodiesel,
electricity,
methanol, and
p-series fuels (i.e. blend of natural gases – pentanes
plus). A discussion of these various fuels are provided in this
newsletter and descriptions are available from the Alternative
Fuels Data Source website by clicking on the names of each fuel
above.
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Alcohol (Ethanol/ Methanol):
Alcohol has been applied as an alternative
fuel since the beginning of motorized vehicles. Ethanol has
gained the most attention in this field because of its
capabilities as a renewable resource. Ethanol, nicknamed grain
alcohol, can be easily derived from starch or sugar found in
agricultural crops such as corn, grains, and sugarcane. The
combustion of pure ethanol in a vehicle engine burns much more
cleanly than gasoline, yielding a production of zero carbon
monoxide. Methanol, nicknamed wood alcohol, has also been
accepted as a plausible alcohol fuel. Methanol is sometimes
called wood alcohol because it is produced mainly from organic
resources such as wood or even coal. One of its main advantages
is that methanol can be made cheaply from methane gas. The gas
has been a preferred fuel for race cars since the 1960’s because
of its component uniformity; methanol is made of only one
chemical where as gasoline is made of many components.
However, methanol is very toxic, unlike ethanol, and highly
volatile.
http://www.answers.com/topic/alcohol-fuel
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/alcohols.html
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Fuel Cell
Vehicles:
Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) are vehicles that
obtain an electrical current from a fuel cell, rather than a
battery, for powering the vehicle motors. A fuel cell generates
electricity from the reaction of hydrogen mixed with oxygen gas.
Hydrogen is the choice fuel source because its by-products
include zero air pollutants; only water and heat are created.
An advantage of FCV is that the fuel cell is automatically
recharged once the vehicle is refueled, rather than having to
recharge the battery of an electric vehicle. Today, FCV
prototypes can travel up to 300 miles before needing to be
refueled. With additional advanced energy capturing equipment,
an FCV can become more than twice as energy efficient as a
similarly sized conventional vehicle.
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/whatis_fuelcell.html
http://www.h2cars.biz/artman/publish/article_144.shtml
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Compressed
Natural Gas & Liquefied Natural Gas:
Natural Gas is considered one of the most
environmentally friendly fuels known to man. The gas is
composed of 95% methane; a simple, one carbon molecule which
enables nearly complete combustion. Thus, the emissions from
burning of natural gas are much lower than that of gasoline.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is natural gas that is stored in
high pressurized cylinders. Many vehicles today operate on CNG,
including small passenger vehicles and pickup
trucks, moderately-sized delivery trucks, vans, and school
buses. In addition, natural gas is much cheaper than gasoline.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled
to very low temperatures (-263.2o F) to ease its
storage and transport. This process of liquefaction removes
many of the other trace gases found in natural gas. The LNG
that results contains more than 98% pure methane, making it even
cleaner than CNG after combustion. Also, LNG is much denser
than CNG; therefore it contains much more energy for the amount
of space it takes up. However, because of the necessary
treatment for the required temperature of LNG, its use is
currently limited to more heavy-duty vehicles, such as transit
buses, trains and semi-trucks, which have a demand for traveling
long distances before the hassle of refueling.
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/LNG.html
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/afv/naturalgas.html
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas:
The chart below compares
the low emission rates of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to other
leading fuels. LPG is made up of mostly propane, another
clean-burning hydrocarbon. Particulates, as referred to in the
table, are the cause of thousands of deaths and illnesses each
year. Other pollutants posing noticeable health risks that can
be significantly reduced by using LPG include ultra fine
particles and oxides of nitrogen. In addition, LPG has been
proven to be cheaper than gasoline for the same amount of
energy.
(http://www.lpgconversionsltd.co.uk/)
http://www.lpgconversionsltd.co.uk/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/LNG.html
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Bio-diesel:
Bio-diesel can be made from
used cooking oil. Though bio-diesel is made from renewable
resources (plant and animal matter) most types of fats and oils
are too expensive to replace diesel fuel with. However, with
necessary cooperation, used fats, oils, and grease from
restaurants have been successfully converted into bio-diesel.
Bio-diesel fuel can burn up to 75% cleaner than fossil-fuel
diesel, significantly reducing the emission levels of
unburned hydrocarbons (by 93%), carbon monoxide (by 50%), and
particulates (by 30%). Because bio-diesel is plant-based,
post-combustion carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions are
nonexistent. Bio-diesel cuts the ozone-forming potential of
conventional diesel in half. Bio-diesel is also biodegradable.
Thus, if the liquid is spilled, its effects would be much less
severe than fossil-fuel diesel on the environment.
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/biodiesel.html
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Where do you find
Alternative Fuel Stations?
The Alternative Fuels Data Center provides
the number of alternative fueling stations in each state at
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/station_counts.html
A database is also available for searching locations by address,
city or state or within a radius around the location for finding
stations with alternative fuels. The stations listed also show
whether they are private or public. The locator can be found at
http://afdcmap.nrel.gov/locator/LocatePane.asp.
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The Environment and You!!
The next time you buy a car look at the
potential for a vehicle with alternative fuel capability. The
impact you make in cleaning the air in the Charlotte region may
be the part per billion that makes the difference in ozone level
for reaching attainment status below 85 part per billion..Each
person can make a difference in Air Quality for all of us
and the future generations. That person is YOU! An
alternative fuels car buying guide can be located at
http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/vbg/. It can provide
product information, show what choices are available, and give
resources for fleets or private consumers.
Do you want to compare your
current car mileage per gallon of fuel rating with other types
of cars? Check what mileage other owners have for your type of
cars? Go to
the website link at
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to evaluate gas mileage rates
for different cars and learn about fuel economy.
AAA provides information on fuel pricing
complete with a car trip calculator at
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/. On the left column is a
link to enable one to calculate the current fuel cost for your
summer trip.
Have a wonderful summer and keep checking the
Air Quality Forecast Daily and TAKE ACTION on High Ozone Days!!
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Environmental Assistance Office (EAO) for
Small Business
The
Environmental
Assistance Office for Small Business provides
non-regulatory, client-confidential pollution prevention
assistance to small businesses in the greater
Charlotte
region. The EAO is designed to assist regional businesses in
their efforts to voluntarily prevent pollution. The EAO staff
can provide timely assistance for pollution prevention planning,
including information about industry-specific case studies,
waste-specific case studies, and new technologies. The office
provides links of resources to needs between the region's
business community, government, municipality, and university. If
there is a particular issue or question you would like to see in
an upcoming edition, please send an e-mail to
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu.
Contact Information:
Environmental
Assistance Office for Small Business:
9201 University City Blvd.
136 Kennedy Building, UNC Charlotte,
Charlotte,
NC
28233-0001
Phone number: 704-687-3968 Fax number: 704-687-3115
Email:
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Services:
-
Assistance with Air Permits -
Assistance for small businesses in completing paperwork for EPA
air permits.
-
Educational Materials -
Educational pamphlet, brochures, flyers, and other materials to
relate facts on pollution prevention.
-
Educational Outreach - Develop
educational outreach campaigns and presentations for the public
or employee training.
-
University Resources -
Library information, faculty expertise, student projects and
research at both graduate and undergraduate levels.