Alternative Fuels for Diesel Engine Applications

Rapid advances in renewable and synthetic fuels offer viable pathways towards decarbonising diesel engines, which remain central to freight and heavy-duty transport worldwide. Bio-derived alcohols such as butanol and ethanol, often blended with diesel or hydrogenated vegetable oil, provide enhanced lubricity and oxygen content that can improve combustion efficiency and reduce particulates. Fermentation co-products like acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) mixtures exploit existing bioprocess streams to lower feedstock costs, while Fischer–Tropsch and gas-to-liquids (GTL) fuels deliver sulphur-free, high-cetane hydrocarbons synthesised from biomass, coal or natural gas. Additives including metal oxide nanoparticles further promote flame stability and emissions reduction by catalysing in-cylinder reactions. Optimisation of injection timing, pressure and exhaust gas recirculation rates is critical to accommodate the distinct volatility, viscosity and ignition delay characteristics of these alternative fuels. Machine learning and computational fluid dynamics tools increasingly guide blend design and engine calibration, enabling predictive control of performance and pollutant formation. Collectively, these developments underpin a shift towards lower-carbon diesel engines without wholesale redesign of existing powerplants, offering a transitional strategy for transport sectors with stringent energy and emissions targets.

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Alternative Fuels for Diesel Engine Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in alternative fuels for diesel engine applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Brake thermal efficiency (BTE): The fraction of chemical energy in the fuel converted into useful mechanical work at the engine crankshaft.

Cetane number: A measure of the ignition quality of a diesel fuel, with higher values indicating shorter ignition delay and more stable combustion.

Oxygenate: A compound containing oxygen (such as alcohols or ethers) added to fuel to enhance combustion and reduce soot emissions.

Fischer–Tropsch fuel: A synthetic hydrocarbon produced by catalytically converting synthesis gas derived from biomass, coal or natural gas into liquid fuels.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR): A technique that redirects a portion of exhaust gases back into the intake air to lower peak combustion temperatures and reduce nitrogen oxide formation.

Nanoparticle catalyst: Ultrafine particles (e.g., metal oxides) added to fuel or introduced in-cylinder to catalyse oxidation reactions, improving combustion efficiency and emissions profiles.

References

1. Elman and cascade neural networks with conjugate gradient Polak-Ribière restarts to predict diesel engine performance and emissions fueled by butanol as sustainable biofuel. Results in Engineering (2023).
2. Acetone and nanoparticles effect on performance and exhaust emissions of a diesel engine. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2023).
3. Fuel Properties of Butanol – Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil Blends as a Diesel Extender Option for Internal Combustion Engines. Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering (2019).
4. Effects of Chemical Compositions and Cetane Number of Fischer–Tropsch Fuels on Diesel Engine Performance. Energies (2022).