Four years ago, as the temperature of rhetoric in the food-versus-fuel debate rose with the prices of corn and oil, Farm Foundation asked three economists from Purdue University to take an objective look at the complex forces that were driving food prices. While oil prices are not at 2008 levels this summer, drought and high temperatures are pushing corn and soybean prices to record levels, and...

Could propane from Alaska’s North Slope reduce energy costs for electric utilities and residential space heating, water heating, and cooking demands? We explored the hypothesis that propane is a viable alternative for fourteen selected communities along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, coastal Alaska, and Fairbanks. Our analysis forecasts propane and fuel prices at the wholesale and retail level...

Production of electricity by burning coal, oil, and natural gas produces CO2, SO2, NOx, etc. which act as greenhouse gases and pollutants. This paper examines fuel use, energy production, and the quantities of these gases produced in the Malaysian economy during the years 1991 and 2000. Input-output (Leontief) analysis is used in this study to enable calculation of energy demand and pollution e...

The study was done on Jatropha bio fuel stove technology. The study deals with comprehensive literature review followed by technical modifications. The wick stove proto type designed for kerosene burning was chosen for the study. The concepts for preliminary design and premodifications were drawn on the basis of observations received during testing of proto type to burn with Jatropha oil. Then ...

Worldwide concerns about sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions from ships are motivating the replacement of marine residual oil (RO) with cleaner, lower-sulfur fuels, such as marine gas oil (MGO) and marine diesel oil (MDO). Vessel operators can use MGO and MDO directly or blended with RO to achieve environmental and economic objectives. Although expected to be much cleaner in terms of criteria pollutan...

The new requirements for sulfur content in liquid fuels demand the use of novel deep desulfurization processes. 4-methyldibenzothiophene, 4,6dimethyldibenzothiophene and their alkyl-substituted derivatives are the key substances that need to be separated from diesel fuel and fuel oil. These compounds require higher hydrogen consumption in the hydrodesulfurization process and the use of addition...

Oil provides 33% of the world’s energy (Wilcox, 2014) and transportation engines account for over 60% of the 70 million barrels of crude used each day. Engines power the world’s roughly one billion passenger vehicles, as well as trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. In theUSA, engines consume 14million barrels of oil per day or 2.5 gal/person. Since there are insufficient reserves, 62% is imported, a...

Diesel is a fossil fuel that is getting depleted at a fast rate. So an alternative fuel is necessary and a need of the hour. Neem oil, which is cultivated in India at large scales, has a high potential to become an alternative fuel to replace diesel fuel. Direct use of Neem oil cannot be done, as its viscosity is more than the diesel fuel, and hence affects the combustion characteristics. The N...

The use of biodiesel, the methyl esters of vegetable oils are becoming popular due to their low environmental impact and potential as a green alternative fuel for diesel engine. The aim of this study is to potential use of Pongamia oil methyl ester as a substitute for diesel fuel in diesel engine. Various proportions of Pongamia and Diesel (B25, B50, B75, and B100) are prepared by transesterifi...