Enabling Ethanol Use as a Renewable Transportation Fuel: A Micro- and Macro-scale Perspective by Ripudaman Singh A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering) in the University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Professor Margaret S. Wooldridge, Chair Professor Andre Boehman Associate Professor Mirko Gamba Professor Gregory Keoleian Assistant Professor Andrew Mansfield, Eastern Michigan University Ripudaman Singh
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7159-0242 © Ripudaman Singh 2019 Dedication “To my grandparents who taught me to surpass the boundaries” ii Acknowledgments Just as great things cannot be achieved in isolation, this dissertation work was possible only with the support, guidance and love from a community of people. First, I would like to thank Professor Margaret S. Wooldridge for giving me the opportunity to be a part of her research group. She is the best advisor I could have asked for, it is only her nurturing and belief in me that I have been able to complete this work. She gave me the freedom to explore opportunities and guided me on way to achieving the goals I wanted to. The rich intellectual environment in her group has helped me grow as a researcher. I would also like to thank Professor Andre Boehman, Associate Professor Mirko Gamba, Professor Gregory Keoleian and Assistant Professor Andrew Mansfield for serving on my committee. Their invaluable feedback and recommendations played a significant role in shaping this dissertation. My sincere thanks to Dr. Francis Kemausuor and the Energy Center at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana for being such great hosts during my work at Ghana.