Chinese researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Tianjin University report the use of a dual ethanol-diesel blend on a 4-cylinder diesel engine by a "fumigation operation". Under this operation, the ethanol is premixed with the intake of air by injection or vaporization of the alcohol, while the diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder as in a conventional diesel engine. A diesel oxidation catalyst was also used in the operation. The experiments were done on "4.3-liter, naturally-aspirated, in-line four-cylinder direct-injection Isuzu diesel engine. An ethanol fuel rail and four fuel injectors were added to the air intake manifold of the engine". Among the findings of the research (as summarized in the Green Congress website) were: (1) a decrease in NOx emission, was observed, "arising from the cooling effect of ethanol; at high engine loads, the cooling effect is weakened, leading to lower reduction in NOx emission. There was,however, an increase in nitrogen dioxide in the exhaust gas, (2) Fumigation ethanol operation in the diesel engine, was shown to effectively reduce smoke, particle mass concentration, and particle number concentration compared to Euro V diesel fuel; the reductions are attributed to the reduction of diesel fuel burned in the diffusion mode. The details of the study are published in the Energy and Fuels journal (URL above).