Analysis of Biofuel Combustion Chemistry Reported

The internetchemistry website reports some highlights of a scientific article entitled, "Biofuel combustion chemistry: from ethanol to biodiesel", which appears in the 2010 May issue of the journal, Angewandte Chemie (URL above). The paper analyzes the "combustion chemistry of compounds that constitute typical biofuels, including alcohols, ethers and esters". The research, conducted by an international team of scientists, offers detailed insights into how biofuel chemicals react when burned. Although much of biofuels research dwell on the production aspects, fuel delivery structure, engine performance and policy related issues (i.e. food-versus-fuel debate or life-cycle analysis), the combustion chemistry of the compounds that constitute typical biofuels, including alcohols, ethers, and esters, has not received similar public attention.

The review paper "highlights some characteristic aspects of the chemical pathways in the combustion of prototypical representatives of potential biofuels." Discussion focuses on "the decomposition and oxidation mechanisms and the formation of undesired, harmful, or toxic emissions, with an emphasis on transportation fuels." New insights into the highly diverse and complex chemical reaction networks of biofuel combustion were also made possible by novel scientific tools. According to the abstract of the article, "Understanding key elements of this chemistry is an important step towards intelligent selection of next-generation alternative fuels."