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Bio-Methanol: the Future Alternative for Both Fossil Fuels and Electric Drives?

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Bio-Methanol: the Future Alternative for Both Fossil Fuels and Electric Drives? Bio-Methanol: The future Alternative for both Fossil Fuels and Electric Drives? Report written by: Antonia Meckel Viborg, June 2019 Executive summary Methanol as motor fuel has gained interest in recent years due to its low price, easy handling and high octane number. Methanol can nowadays be produced from biogas which yields an extremely low Greenhouse Gas emission – easily comparable to those of electric vehicles. Biogas is also very easy to come by, especially in Denmark with its enormous industry in cattle and hog farms. Efforts to establish a large methanol factory in Denmark with connection to the Danish gas grid are ongoing. Until that happens methanol can easily be imported from Norway. Certificate trading ensures that the methanol is based on Danish biogas. Methanol is not yet implemented in the Danish transport sector. The current exchange agreement between the fuel companies only allows ethanol to be added to gasoline. If this barrier could be removed, temporary fuels such as A7 could be introduced. In the long term, however, completely new fuels are required. The Danish Methanol Association and the Danish Technological Institute participate in a project that tested a 105 Octane M85 fuel consisting of 85% methanol and 15% petrol. The pilot car, a Peugeot 107 “City Car”, got a Flex Fuel Kit installed and its engine performance went up by 5-7% with all emissions kept in place. M85’s emission of CO2 is an important point in this report, and especially the comparison with the CO2 “neutrality” of electric vehicles deserves the spotlight we have given it. As a result, the report finds that methanol can be introduced into the current gasoline infrastructure with very little investment. Stakeholders that have the power to influence the process are mentioned. Technical or legislative barriers that need attention are also described. 2 Content List Executive summary............................................................................................................................................ 2 Content List ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 5 2 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Bio-Methanol - The future Alternative for both Fossil Fuels and Electric Drives?........................... 7 3 Methodology .................................................................................................................................................. 9 4 Theory ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1 Methanol and bio-methanol .................................................................................................... 11 4.1.1 What is methanol? ......................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.2 What is the difference between methanol and bio-methanol? ..................................................... 11 4.2 Farmers Gasoline ...................................................................................................................... 12 4.3 Alcoholic fuel blends ................................................................................................................ 13 4.3.1 E5 and A7 ........................................................................................................................................ 13 4.3.2 M15 ................................................................................................................................................. 14 4.3.3 M56 ................................................................................................................................................. 14 4.3.4 M100 and Mpure ............................................................................................................................ 14 4.4 The “City Car” ........................................................................................................................... 16 4.4.1 M85 ................................................................................................................................................. 16 4.4.2 Emissions of the City Car ................................................................................................................ 18 4.5 What technology is used to run a car on bio-methanol (M85)? .............................................. 18 4.6 Climate-killer CO2 - the Greenhouse Effect .............................................................................. 21 5 Analysis and Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 22 5.1 Emissions compared to other engine types ............................................................................. 22 5.1.1 Modern diesel and gasoline cars .................................................................................................... 22 5.1.2 Measurements at Mercantec ......................................................................................................... 23 5.1.3 Electric vehicles - zero emission? ................................................................................................... 26 5.2 Legal regulations ...................................................................................................................... 28 5.2.1 Examples: France and other EU and Non-EU countries ................................................................. 28 5.2.2 Why are no specific rules implemented in Denmark? ................................................................... 29 5.2.3 M30 and A30, the EU Solution? ...................................................................................................... 30 5.3 Limitations of bio methanol ..................................................................................................... 30 5.3.1 Safety during storage and handling ................................................................................................ 30 5.3.2 Corrosion ........................................................................................................................................ 31 3 5.3.3 Energy content ............................................................................................................................... 31 5.3.4 Cold start in winter ......................................................................................................................... 31 5.4 Who are the main stakeholders in methanol business? .......................................................... 32 5.4.1 Producers ........................................................................................................................................ 32 5.4.2 Refineries ........................................................................................................................................ 32 5.4.3 Traders, Retailers and Logistics ...................................................................................................... 33 5.4.4 Car owners ...................................................................................................................................... 33 6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 34 7 Sources and Literature.................................................................................................................................. 36 8 Appendices ....................................................................................................................................................... i Appendix 1: Sales Specification Bio-Methanol .................................................................................. i Appendix 2: Farmers Gasoline ......................................................................................................... ii Appendix 3: GDI Engines and Alcohol Fuel ..................................................................................... iii Appendix 4: Methanol as Motor Fuel ............................................................................................. vi Appendix 5: City Car Sheet ............................................................................................................xvii Appendix 6: City Car Folder .......................................................................................................... xviii Appendix 7: Understanding Global Warming - an opinion ........................................................... xxii Appendix 8: Methanol as Motor Fuel ........................................................................................ xxxiii 4 1 Introduction The search for an efficient and eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels such as diesel and petrol has been a global subject of interest and even fierce discussion for many decades. Ever since the depletability of resources became a matter of public awareness, people all over the world have been working hard to find a permanent,
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