Alternative fuels for the internal combustion engine?

Replies

• 

  Gurjap

  whatever you do, avoid hydrogen. The hydrogen embrittlement problem for metals is huge and will probably cause catastrophic failures one day.
  
  try running it on coal dust, or gasified coal, or producer gas
  [took this from Wikipedia "2C + O2 + N2 → 2CO+N2
  The nitrogen in the air remains unchanged and dilutes the gas, giving it a very low calorific value. After "scrubbing", to remove tar, the gas may be used to power ...spark ignited engines (where 100% petrol fuel replacement is possible) or diesel internal combustion engines (where 40% - 15% of the original diesel fuel is still used to ignite the gas).]
  
  Or use water-gas shift reaction to make CO and H2 from coal and steam. Or burn the coal partially, turn it into CO and run the engine on that. Crazy, yeah, but what the heck
• 

  veereshsg

  There is a need to find an alternate fuel.
  I have tried HOME[Honge Oil Methyl Ester] in combination with Diesel. I got optimum results for 15% of HOME mixed with Diesel, without much change in the Mechanical efficiency and without modifying the engine.
  Honge Oil is a non edible oil. Give it a try.