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Methanol fuel is an alternative biofuel for internal combustion and other engines, either in combination with gasoline or independently. Methanol (CH 3 OH) is less expensive to sustainably produce than ethanol fuel, although it is more toxic than ethanol and has a lower energy density than gasoline.
Direct methanol fuel cells or DMFCs are a subcategory of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells in which methanol is used as the fuel and a special proton-conducting polymer as the membrane (PEM). Their main advantage is low temperature operation and the ease of transport of methanol, an energy-dense yet reasonably stable liquid at all ...
Demonstration model of a direct methanol fuel cell (black layered cube) in its enclosure Scheme of a proton-conducting fuel cell. A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) [1] into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. [2]
However, it is used as a source of hydrogen in some types of fuel cell; it can generate a higher voltage than methanol, which is the fuel of choice for most alcohol-based fuel cells. However, since propanol is harder to produce than methanol (biologically or from oil), methanol-utilizing fuel cells are preferred over those that utilize propanol.
Methanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline but a lower energy density, and can be mixed with other fuels or used on its own. It may also be used in the production of more complex hydrocarbons and polymers. Direct methanol fuel cells have been developed by Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to convert methanol and oxygen into electricity ...
What is methanol? Methanol, a colourless liquid with a faintly sweet pungent smell, completely mixes with water. It’s very similar to ethanol – the pure form of alcohol in alcoholic drinks.
The fuel cartridge stores the methanol fuel. Depending on the system design either 100% methanol (IMPCA industrial standard) or a mixture of methanol with up to 40 vol% water is usually used as fuel for the RMFC system. 100% methanol results in lower fuel consumption than water-methanol mixture (Premix) but goes along with higher fuel cell system complexity for condensing of cathode moisture.
The mixture of dimethyl ether and methanol is then further dehydrated over a zeolite catalyst such as ZSM-5, and in practice is polymerized and hydrogenated to give a gasoline with hydrocarbons of five or more carbon atoms making up 80% of the fuel by weight. The Mobil MTG process is practiced from coal-derived methanol in China by JAMG. A more ...