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Due to limited fossil fuel resources and a need to reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, biofuel usage is increasing in multiple markets. Ethanol produced from the fermentation of biomass has been of interest as a potential partial replacement for petroleum for some time; for spark-ignition engines, bioethanol is the alternative fuel which is currently of greatest interest. At present, the international market for ethanol fuel consists of E85 fuel (with 85 percent ethanol content), as well as lower concentrations of ethanol in petrol for use in standard vehicles (E5, E10). The impact of different petrol-ethanol blends on exhaust emissions from unmodified vehicles remains under investigation. The potential for reduced exhaust emissions, improved security of fuel supply and more sustainable fuel production makes work on the production and usage of ethanol and its blends an increasingly important research topic.

This paper evaluates the possibility of using bioethanol blends (mixtures of gasoline fuel and ethanol derived from biomass) of varying strengths in an unmodified, small-displacement European Euro 5 light-duty gasoline vehicle. The influence of different proportions of bioethanol in the fuel blend (E5, E10, E25, E50 and E85) on the emission of gaseous pollutants, such as: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and carbon dioxide was tested at normal (22°C) and low (-7°C) ambient temperatures for a light-duty vehicle during the NEDC cycle on a chassis dynamometer. Engine performance metrics were also tested. All test results are presented in comparison to standard European gasoline (E5). Tailpipe emission data presented here suggest that modest improvements in air quality could result from usage of low-to-mid ethanol blends in the vehicle tested.

Ethanol has a long history as an automotive fuel and is currently used in various blends and formats as a fuel for spark ignition engines in many areas of the world. The addition of ethanol to petrol has been shown to reduce certain types of emissions, but increase others. This paper presents the results of a detailed experimental program carried out under standard laboratory conditions to determine the influence of different quantities of petrol-ethanol blends (E5, E10, E25, E50 and E85) on the emission of regulated and unregulated gaseous pollutants and particulate matter. The ethanol-petrol blends were laboratory tested in two European passenger cars on a chassis dynamometer over the New European Driving Cycle, using a constant volume sampler and analyzers for quantification of both regulated and unregulated emissions.