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Internal
Combustion
All developed countries rely heavily on the internal combustion engine,
the most common fuels being petrol ("gasoline") and diesel.
These fuels are petrochemical in origin and so depend on a constant
supply of oil.
There are, however, reasons why this is not sustainable:
· Oil is a non-renewable resource and will eventually run out
· Emissions from engines cause environmental and health problems
- these include in particular carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides
(NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), lead compounds (leaded petrol) and carbon
dioxide (CO2)
 Greener
Cars
Many developments over the last few decades have tried to address these
issues. These tend to fall into several categories:
| Change |
Examples |
Main advantages |
| Reducing the environmental impact of existing
fuels |
Removing lead from petrol, low sulphur
fuel, reduced benzene content, catalytic converters |
Reduced emissions of CO, NOx, SO2, benzene
and lead |
| Using alternative petrochemical fuels or
blends |
LPG, E85, methane |
Reduced emissions of CO, NOx, SO2 and lead
Lower CO2 emissions |
| Developing fuels from renewable
resources |
Bioethanol, Biodiesel |
No oil dependence, sustainable
feedstockPotential for being carbon neutral |
| Developing alternative technologies |
Fuel cell vehicles (hydrogen), hybrid technology |
Reduced emissions, potential for use of
renewable resources |
Sulphur is routinely removed from oil and gas, and is now an important
source of the element for the manufacture
of sulphuric acid
More information on catalytic converters can be found on the Catalysis
site
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