Application of by-products of ethanol production in the fuel industry

Abstract

This article analyzes two ways of solving environmental problems in the fuel industry, which arose due to the need to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to the first direction, the ways of using various non-traditional types of raw materials and waste containing sugars for the purpose of producing environmentally friendly types of fuel are considered. According to the second direction, the possibilities of integrated use of ethanol and all by-products formed during its production are analyzed to improve ecology in the fuel industry. We have established the possibility of using the by-products of ethanol production, fuel oil and fuel alcohol, to improve the operational properties of motor fuels used in carburetor and diesel engines. It has been stated that the additives of fuel alcohol and fuel oil increase the octane number of gasoline, improve its fractional composition, as a result of which the completeness of fuel combustion and the uniformity of its supply to the engine cylinders increase. The optimal concentrations of alcohol additives to gasoline are as follows: 5 vol.% and 10 vol.% for fuel alcohols and fuel oil, respectively. It has been established that the addition of fuel oil to diesel fuels increases their cetane number, this causes the mixture to ignite faster and the diesel engine to start. Moreover, with the addition of fuel oil, the temperature of the beginning of boiling decreases which facilitates the starting properties of the fuel, and the viscosity of the fuel mixture decreases which improves the completeness of mixing and transportation in the engine system. The optimal concentration of fuel oil additive to diesel fuel is 10 vol.%.