Study on the stability and properties of carbon neutral methanol in blends with diesel fuel

Abstract

As the simplest liquid fuel, methanol can be sustainably produced from carbon dioxide and renewable energy sources. It is one of the most competitive green fuels. However, there are difficulties in being miscible with conventional fuels when it is used as a blended fuel. In this paper, the furan from biomass is used as the co-solvent of methanol blended fuel, which is expected to address the issue. In this study, not only surface tension, electrical conductivity, and particle size were used to characterize the macroscopic and microscopic structures of carbon neutral methanol blended fuels, and fuel properties including the density, lower calorific value and corrosivity of the mixed fuel have also been discussed. Results indicate that biomass furan reduces the surface tension and keeps the mixed fuel in a microemulsion state for more than 45 days. It increases the fuel density, reduces the unit calorific value cost, and slightly aggravates the corrosion. Carbon neutral methanol fuel, with the help of biomass furan, can be used together with traditional fossil fuels, providing a potential effective path for the efficient and convenient application of new carbon neutral fuels and biomass fuels.