Tag: alternative fuels and energy sources

CNG is stored in pressurized vessels or spheres. They are gaseous in nature at STP. For it to be transported and used it is liquefied and kept in pressurized tanks. 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it does change its form. And not all forms of energy are usable and it gets dissipated as heat energy and sound energy. The energy that is wasted cannot be recovered. Moreover, the current sources or energy such as fuels are non-renewable in nature and are rapidly consumed. That is why we are facing energy crisis.

The Complete Combustion of Natural Gas yields carbon dioxide and water. Complete combustion happens when the hydrocarbon burns in an excess of air. An excess of air means that there is more than enough oxygen to cause all of the carbon to turn into carbon dioxide.

The methane gas burns with a clear blue flame.

methane + oxygen  $\rightarrow$ carbon dioxide + water + energy

$CH _4(g) +  2O _2(g)   \rightarrow  CO _2(g) +  2H _2O(l)$           

The reaction is exothermic. The heat released from burning natural gas is used for central heating and to generate electricity.

CNG is made by compressing natural gas which is mainly composed of methane, to less than 1 percent of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of 20–25 MPa, usually in cylindrical or spherical shapes.

Vadodara Gas Limited operates nine CNG stations in Vadodara and dispensing more than 65,000 kg/day CNG, catering to the consumers of automobile sector comprising Buses, Cars and Auto-rickshaws. The CNG network in the City of Vadodara includes 2-Mother Stations, 1-On-line Station and 6-Daughter Booster Stations and 13 Km Steel Pipelines.

Biodiesel is produced in a pure form (referred to as “B100”or “neat biodiesel”) and is typically blended with petroleum-based diesel fuel. Such biodiesel blends are designated as BXX, where XX represents the percentage by volume of pure biodiesel contained in the blend (e.g.,“B5,” “B20”).

Petroleum-derived diesel is composed of about 75% saturated hydrocarbons (primarily paraffin including n, iso, and cycloparaffins), and 25% aromatic hydrocarbons (including naphthalenes and alkylbenzenes). The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel is $C _{12}H _{24}$, ranging approximately from $C _{10}H _{20} ....... C _{15}H _{28}$.

Typically, emissions of nitrogen oxides are either slightly reduced or slightly increased depending on the duty cycle of the engine and testing methods used. Increases in NOx can be effectively eliminated with the use of normal mechanical remediation techniques (e.g. catalysts or timing changes). Research also documents the fact that the ozone forming potential of the hydrocarbon emissions of pure biodiesel is nearly 50% less than that of petroleum fuel. Pure biodiesel does not contain sulphur and therefore reduces sulphur dioxide exhaust from diesel engines to virtually zero.

Usually derived from vegetable oils - soy is very popular these days, but animal fats can also be used - biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification which essentially splits the oil into two parts: alkyl esters and glycerine; the esters are the fuel, while the leftover glycerine is often the byproduct.

Biomass feedstocks are the plant and algal materials used to derive fuels like ethanol, butanol, biodiesel, and other hydrocarbon fuels. Examples of biomass feedstocks include corn starch, sugarcane juice, soyabean, crop residues such as corn stover and sugarcane bagasse, purpose-grown grass crops, and woody plants.