Enhanced Ethanol Diesel Blends for Emission Reduction

New engine diesel pollution is addressed in the EPA Clean Diesel Truck/Bus and low sulfur diesel rule and non-road diesel rule. Unfortunately, slow fleet turnover with extend full implementation. EPA is interested in both retrofit technologies that reduce emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, NOx) from diesel sources and also interested in new bio-diesel implementation technologies. In this program, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) will simultaneously address both of these issues. Ethanol diesel fuel blends have shown that they can reduce many emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, CO) by over 20%. Unfortunately, the ethanol-diesel (e-diesel) fuels do not significantly affect NOx emissions. CMS proposed the simultaneous use of e-diesel fuels with retrofit membrane technology. The latter retrofit membrane technology has already demonstrated an ability to reduce NOx emissions by over 50% with no significant change in other emissions. Both e-diesels and CMS membranes are easily retrofitable technology which is one to EPA¿s key objectives. Also ethanol prices ($/gallon) are significantly lower than other bio-diesel sources. Also, ethanol¿s BTU/$ is much higher than other bio-diesels. This therefore addresses a second EPA objective related to low cost bio-diesel production technologies. There is also special synergy between CMS technology and e-diesel. E-diesel is more combustible mixture and by using nitrogen enriched air from CMS membrane this reduces or controls the e-diesel combustibility which is desirable. In Phase I, CMS will demonstrate on a 20 kw Lister-Petter diesel engine using an appropriate ethanol-diesel fuel blend and appropriate controls that low cost ethanol based bio-diesel in combustion with novel CMS retrofit membrane broadly reduces emissions by at least 20% across the board with no significant (less than 2%) fuel penalty. CMS has established key relationships with major industrial and industrial membrane companies. There relationships will enhance CMS¿s ability to be successful in Phase I/Phase II and subsequent downstream