Cars On Alcohol, Part 6: Methanol & Natural Gas
By Green Car Journal Editors
As methanol flexible-fuel vehicles were being further developed by automakers and encouraged by state and federal government agencies in 1993, there were other important areas being explored like infrastructure and fuel availability. One school of thought suggested that with the world’s large reserves of natural gas, this would be an ideal feedstock for creating methanol for transportation. Several companies were also focused on making the methane-to-methanol conversion process more affordable. Original reports included here, reprinted verbatim from articles that ran in Green Car Journal’s early issues, provide perspective on how alcohol fuels began their march to market.
PROGRESS IN AFVs NOTED
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 1993 The known and projected world reserves of natural gas represent a source of energy that rivals the estimated 1.5 trillion barrels of oil yet to be tapped. If natural gas, comprised primarily of methane, could be produced and used efficiently, it could start replacing dwindling supplies of petroleum as we move into the 21st century.
Two of the primary products derived from methane are methanol, which can be used as a fuel and syngas, and a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can serve as a chemical feedstock that can be converted to methanol.
While abundant, major natural gas resources are found in the more remote parts of the world, making transportation in gaseous form too expensive. Because of this, much of the natural gas found along with petroleum is simply burned off in the oil fields. The most promising solution is to convert methane to methanol, an easily transported liquid. But this is easier said than done.
Chemically, the methane molecule consists of four hydrogen atoms attached to a central carbon atom. Conversion to methanol requires stripping off one of the hydrogen atoms and replacing it with one hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom that are bonded together. Because the bond between the central carbon atom and the hydrogen atoms is extremely strong, the process is difficult and expensive, requiring much energy and high temperatures. Methane may also convert to carbon dioxide and water when oxidized under extreme enough conditions rather than stopping at a useful immediate stage like methanol and syngas.
Several groups of scientists are currently investigating techniques to produce methanol from methane more economically. Catalytica (Mountain View, Calif.) is working with a mercury catalyst with an electric charge to partially oxidize methane to create methanol. In the process, a combination of sulfuric acid and a catalytic amount of metallic ions causes methane to become methyl bisulfate, a methanol compound which does not oxidize further as methane does. Methanol can be obtained through electrolysis of the methyl bisulfate. The sulfuric acid is recovered by reoxidization of the sulfur dioxide, which is another product of the reaction.
Catalytica says they get about a 40% conversion to methanol from this process compared to less than 5% obtained so far in other approaches that rely on direct oxidation of methane. This research is sponsored by Petro-Canada and Techmocisco, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Oil Co.
Other researchers at the University of Minnesota and Dow Chemical Co. use a process in which methane and air at room temperature flow through a heated, sponge-like ceramic disk coated with a platinum or rhodium catalyst. The products here are hydrogen and carbon monoxide rather than water and carbon dioxide. The end result is a hot syngas that can be transformed to methanol. Analysis shows 90% of the methane is converted to syngas.
The Morgantown Energy Technology Center, with funding from Sun Refining & Marketing, is developing a conversion technique that involves enzyme systems like methane to convert alkanes to alcohols, such as methyl alcohol or methanol, using synthetic catalysts called Chemzymes.
These investigations have not progressed beyond basic laboratory experiments. Thus much research and development is still needed to determine if this can actually be commercialized. However, the current research shows promise. If commercialization becomes practical, methane could replace petroleum as civilization?s feedstock for energy and carbon-based materials, probably completely 50 to 70 years from now when petroleum resources are expected to run out.
TAURUS FFV A FAVORITE WITH FLEETS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 1993 The 1993 Ford Taurus FFV is finding ready acceptance with fleets, just as its gasoline-only counterpart has for years. That?s no surprise. The Taurus is the best-selling car in the U.S. for all the right reasons ? good performance, style, and value. These same attributes make it an excellent alternative fuel vehicle purchase for fleet and personal use as well. Ford must be pleased with their FFV?s acceptance since they?ve just confirmed it will be produced through at least the 1995 model year.
Much fanfare has accompanied recent mass sales of this FFV, including delivery of hundreds of new models to fleet buyers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and 45 examples to the Dearborn police department in Michigan. Substantial attention was garnered when Avis, Budget, and Hertz purchased 300 Taurus FFVs to service the rental car market at Sacramento Metro Airport. Enterprise Rent A Car also purchased 210 examples for use in the Los Angeles and Orange County rental markets. Large-scale public exposure to flexible-fuel vehicles through rentals is obviously a significant step forward for FFV interests.
Nearly 2,500 FFVs have left the Ford assembly line since the automaker began building them earlier in the year at its South Chicago, Illinois facility. While most of these are destined for the California market, just over 300 are heading for fleets in eight other states including New York, Michigan, Louisiana, and Arizona. Iowa also is getting 42 examples optimized to run on ethanol E85 made from the state?s corn.
The 1993 Ford Taurus FFV being tested by Green Car editors here is powered by a 140 horsepower 3.0-liter V-6 and features GL trim, optional heavy-duty suspension, four-wheel anti-lock breaks, and dual airbags. A digital dash-board exclusive to the FFV provides a methanol percentage readout along with instant/average mpg, trip odometer, and driving distance to empty functions.
FFV upgrades provided as standard fare include a methanol tolerant fuel system, larger capacity fuel pump and injectors, and a 20.7 gallon fuel tank in place of the standard 16 gallon variety. Also included is a revised ignition system, a gasoline/M85 fuel sensor, and an upgraded engine management system. Oil and filter changes, provided free by Ford for 6 years or 60,000 miles, use a methanol compatible SG rated 10W30 oil.
Green Car editors? comments about driving this Taurus FFV generally mirror the results of the survey conducted earlier this year by the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA). During our initial 3,000 miles behind the wheel, we?ve found that the FFV variant drives and performs equally as well as its gasoline-only counterpart. Its onboard sensor does an excellent job of determining M85/gasoline fuel mix. With the exception of a few isolated instances of stalling at cold-start, the engine has performed flawlessly on varying mixtures of both fuels. Fill-ups to date have been mostly with M85.
Also sharing sentiments with those surveyed by NAFA, Green Car testers have experienced some frustration with M85 availability. While there are three stations with M85 within reasonable driving distance, two have been inoperable at various times. Several lengthy drives have also required topping off with gasoline. Further experience with the Taurus FFV and California?s methanol refueling infrastructure will be provided in future issues.
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