Schadstoffarme und effiziente Verbrennung von Kraftstoffen in Form von Mikroemulsionen (English shop)

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Rising particulate matter and ozone concentrations are bringing low-emission combustion of energy carriers to the centre of general interest. Climate protection and scarce resources require savings of fuels based on fossil energy carriers. As has already been demonstrated in past decades, a significant reduction in pollutant emissions can be achieved by adding water to the fuel. However, such fuels, mostly based on emulsions, have not become established owing to their low storage stability. A promising approach to overcoming this problem is offered by microemulsions, which are distinguished by their thermodynamic stability. In this work, single-phase diesel and BTL microemulsions with bicontinuous microstructure were therefore developed through the systematic investigation of the phase behaviour. In particular, the mixture of a non-ionic fatty alcohol ethoxylate with the ionic ammonium oleate yielded fuel microemulsions with high temperature stability. The combustion properties of these fuel microemulsions, containing up to 45 % water, were investigated on several engine test benches, ranging from the simple Hatz engine to modern VW TDI and Deutz engines. The surprising result of these combustion experiments is the saving of fossil fuel, and thus of CO2, on the order of 10 %. At the same time, NOx emissions were markedly reduced by 20 to 60 %. Soot formation also decreased drastically, up to the point of soot-free combustion. In contrast to the soot–NOx trade-off observed with other measures for low-emission combustion, the simultaneous decrease of soot and NOx is a remarkable result. Technical applicability was demonstrated in initial practical tests. Microemulsion fuels can thus contribute, in the sense of sustainability, to climate protection at the global level and to air quality control at the local level.