Types Of Alternative Fuels

To reduce our growing need for imported oil, our nation’s researchers are working with businesses to develop several different kinds of alternative fuels. Some of these fuels can be blended with petroleum while some are alternatives to petroleum. Using alternative fuels can also help to curb exhaust emissions and contribute to a healthier environment.

Most of today’s conventional cars, vans, trucks, or buses can already run on some alternative fuels, such as blends of gasoline or diesel fuel that contain up to about 10% ethanol. However, we need specially designed vehicles to be able to use other alternative fuels, such as natural gas, hydrogen, electricity, and fuel blends containing a higher percentage of ethanol.

Researchers are helping to develop the fuels of the future, which could include any or all of these alternatives to conventional fuels:

Gaseous Fuels and Gas-to-Liquid Fuels

Not all vehicle fuels are liquids. Some are gaseous fuels, such as natural gas, hydrogen, and blends of the two. Gaseous fuels must be stored in the vehicle in a pressurized tank. Natural gas can be converted into a liquid fuel that can then be refined into gasoline or diesel.  Solid-fuel resources such as biomass and coal can also be converted to gas in a process known as gasification. The resulting gas can then be converted to a liquid synthetic fuel.

 

Electricity

Electricity supplies some of the power needed to operate today’s hybrid electric vehicles.  Plug-in hybrids have  batteries that can be recharged just by plugging the vehicle into an electrical outlet.  Fuel cell vehicles are also powered by electricity. This electricity is produced as the result of an electrochemical reaction that takes place when hydrogen and oxygen are combined in a fuel cell.

 

 

QUESTION SET 5: TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS

  1. Which of the following is not an alternative fuel?
    1. Hydrogen
    2. Electricity
    3. Gasoline
    4. Bio-Diesel
  2. ___________ is the process where solid fuels are converted to gases to be used in a different way.
    1. Petrification
    2. Gasification
    3. Condensation
    4. Evaporation
  3. True or False: Most of today’s conventional vehicles can run on gasoline that has some small blend of alternative fuels.
    1. True
    2. False
  4. One of the main reasons to develop alternative fuels is to reduce our dependence on ____________.
    1. Animals
    2. Foreign Oil
    3. Sugar
    4. Renewable Energy
  5. About a ___ percent blend of ethanol can be used to fuel most traditional gas/diesel vehicles.
    1. 1
    2. 5
    3. 10
    4. 15
  6. Using alternative fuels can help to __________ exhaust emissions.
    1. Encourage
    2. Eliminate
    3. Reduce
    4. Reuse