Pollutant emissions and environmental assessment of ethyl 3-ethoxybutyrate, a potential renewable fuel.
Renewable and bio-based transportation fuel sources can lower the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. We present an initial assessment of ethyl 3-ethoxybutyrate (EEB) as a biofuel in terms of its performance as a fuel oxygenate and its persistence in the environment. EEB can be produced from ethanol and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, a bacterial storage polymer that can be produced from non-food biomass and other organic feedstocks. Physicochemical properties of EEB and fuel-relevant properties of EEB-gasoline blends were measured, emissions of criteria pollutants from EEB as a gasoline additive in a production vehicle were evaluated, and fate and persistence of EEB in the environment were estimated. EEB solubility in water was 25.8 g/L, its Kow was 1.8, and its Henry's Law constant was 1.04 × 10(-5) atm-m(3)/mole. The anti-knock index values for 5 and 20 % v/v EEB-gasoline blends were 91.6 and 91.9, respectively. Reductions in fuel economy were consistent with the level of oxygenation, and criteria emissions were met by the vehicle operated over the urban dynamometer driving cycle (FTP 75). Predicted environmental persistence ranged from 15 to 30 days which indicates that EEB is not likely to be a persistent organic pollutant. In combination, these results suggest a high potential for the use of EEB as a renewable fuel source.
Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
John M E
JM
Storey
Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.|MAHLE Powertrain, LLC, Farmington Hills, MI, 48337, USA.
Michael P
MP
Bunce
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.|Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Edwina M
EM
Clarke
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.|Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, 89002, USA.
Jennifer W
JW
Edmonds
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.
Robert H
RH
Findlay
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.
Stephen M C
SM
Ritchie
C/e- Solutions, Inc., Woodland, CA, 95695, USA.|, 1234, Vessy, Switzerland.
Laurent
L
Eyers
C/e- Solutions, Inc., Woodland, CA, 95695, USA.|Vitruvian Energy, SPC, Seattle, WA, 98107, USA.
Zackery A
ZA
McMurry
C/e- Solutions, Inc., Woodland, CA, 95695, USA. jc_smoot@yahoo.com.|, West Sacramento, CA, 95691, USA. jc_smoot@yahoo.com.
James C
JC
Smoot
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D005742:Gasoline; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D011422:Propionates / Q000032:analysis*; D059205:Renewable Energy; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
D056804:Biofuels; D000431:Ethanol; D005742:Gasoline; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011091:Polyesters; D011422:Propionates; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates; C067369:ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate
Biofuels; Criteria pollutants; Dynamometer; Environmental persistence; Fuel oxygenates; Multimedia analysis; Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)