Grantee Research Project Results
Enhanced Ethanol Diesel Blends for Emission Reduction
EPA Contract Number: EPD06024Title: Enhanced Ethanol Diesel Blends for Emission Reduction
Investigators: Stookey, Donald
Small Business: Compact Membrane Systems Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2006 through August 31, 2006
Project Amount: $70,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Particulate Matter , SBIR - Water and Wastewater , Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , Air Quality and Air Toxics , SBIR - Air and Climate
Description:
New engine diesel pollution is addressed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Diesel Truck and Buses, low sulfur diesel, and nonroad diesel rules. Unfortunately, slow fleet turnover will extend full implementation. EPA is interested in both retrofit technologies that reduce emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, NOx) from diesel sources and new biodiesel implementation technologies.
In this Phase I project, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) will address both of these issues. Ethanol-diesel fuel blends have shown that they can reduce many emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, CO) by more than 20 percent. Unfortunately, the ethanol-diesel (e-diesel) fuels do not affect significantly NOx emissions. CMS proposes the simultaneous use of e-diesel fuels with retrofit membrane technology. The latter retrofit membrane technology already has demonstrated an ability to reduce NOx emissions by more than 50 percent with no significant change in other emissions. Both e-diesels and CMS membranes are easily retrofitable technology, which is one to EPA’s key objectives. In addition, ethanol prices ($/gallon) are significantly lower than other biodiesel sources, and ethanol’s BTU/$ is much higher than other biodiesels. This project therefore addresses a second EPA objective related to low-cost biodiesel production technologies. There also is special synergy between CMS technology and e-diesel. E-diesel is a more combustible mixture and using nitrogen-enriched air from CMS membrane reduces or controls the e-diesel combustibility, which is desirable.
In Phase I, CMS will demonstrate on a 20 kw Lister-Petter diesel engine using an appropriate ethanol-diesel fuel blend and appropriate controls that low-cost, ethanol-based biodiesel in combustion with novel CMS retrofit membrane broadly reduces emissions by at least 20 percent across the board with no significant (less than 2 percent) fuel penalty.
CMS has established key relationships with major industrial and industrial membrane companies. These relationships will enhance CMS’s ability to be successful in Phase I/Phase II and subsequent downstream production.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, diesel emissions, particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, air emissions, air pollution, nitrous oxides, NOx, carbon monoxide, CO, retrofit technologies, ethanol-diesel fuel blend, e-diesel, biodiesel, EPA,, Air, Scientific Discipline, Environmental Chemistry, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, Environmental Engineering, aerosol particles, air quality, diesel exhaust, nitrous oxide, ethanol degradation rates, particulate matter, retrofit technology, NOx reduction, emission control technologies, atmospheric aerosols, diesel fuel, air pollution, VOC emission controlsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.