Chemicals like Oil?

Question

After attending a "green" seminar in chicago I got to thinking how we can lower greenhouse emissions and save energy. We all know that cars work by lighting gas and using the force created to power the car. I was wondering if there any easily obtainaable chemicals that cause the same effect as lighting gas?

Answer 1

Hydrogen, it is in work, on prefecting the cell (storage tank)

Answer 2

Alcohol would work under the same principle, combusting the substance to push the piston down the cylinder and turn the engine. But burning alcohol also produces Carbon Dioxide, just like gasoline.
Hydrogen could work just the same, mix it with air (Oxygen) and it will burn quite readily and produces only water when it is burnt.
The problems with these fuels is that there is not as much energy "packed" into them as there is in gasoline. In order to run a car off Hydrogen, it will take a whole lot more fuel than if one wanted to use gasoline...but it would be much cleaner.
Then comes the question of how are we going to get the Hydrogen, many of the current technologies which could be implemented today for large scale use still involve fossil fuels or other energy inefficient / pollution means.

Why stick with the idea of an internal combustion engine?
Other alternatives involve using electric motors instead of relying on burning the fuel, why not use a chemical reaction (be a battery or fuel cell, ...) to generate an electric current to turn a motor and propel the car? It doesn't matter all that much to the passenger how the car works, just so long as it does.

Answer 3

There are quite a variety of fuels that have the same effect as gasoline. Truly, anything that combusts can have the same effect if not indirectly (think coal and steam engine trains).

In terms of personal transportation, aside from the gas you usually see at the pump, think of the following alternatives:

* Alcohol (ethanol primarily, but champ cars burn pure methanol)
* Natural Gas (mostly methane, a smaller, gaseous hydrocarbon)
* BioDiesel (commonly derived from processing spent food oils)
* Hydrogen (Either pure or for use in fuel cells. Potentially dangerous though, think Hindenburg)

There are others, but that should be a fair list to get you started.

Answer 4

this is what the alternative fuels and hydro-electrolysis is all about. Ethanol is one the the big fuels out there. When it burns it simply produces water and carbon dioxide. they say greenhouse effect is caused by CO_2, but they overblame cars too much for it. people breathing make more CO_2 than cars do, and cows make much more than either. In some places they sell E85 fuel, which is 85% ethanol. Most engines can be converted to run on and it is a renewable source. I expect to see a lot more of it as fossil fuels are depleted.

Answer 5

any combustible material under the right pressure and with the correct mixture of oxygen will work. The problem is that engines are built for gasoline. There are conversion kits to use natural gas, but these are usually expensive. I like Bio diesel as the best and least expensive alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel. any diesel engine can be converted to run on bio diesel.

Answer 6

MaAAAAAAAte! you think you are sooooooooooo smart. You're not. And stop being racist. Mexicans are people who you can only hope and dream of being as good as them. Why don't you stop farting through your mouth. That will seriously reduce emmisions.