André L. Boehman
Professor of Fuel Science
The Pennsylvania State University
Biomass derived fuels can present both challenges and opportunities for operation of internal combustion (IC) engines. As with many alternative fuels, biomass derived fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, “green/renewable” diesel and bio-derived synthetic fuels (Fischer-Tropsch diesel and dimethyl ether) can provide significant engine-out emissions reductions versus conventional petroleum derived fuels. But, most of these fuels have a lower energy content than conventional gasoline and diesel fuels, and may have physical and chemical properties that degrade performance and durability in existing engine systems. In this presentation, some of the challenges and some of the opportunities of several of these biomass derived fuels are reviewed, and critical research questions are summarized.