A continually updated list of references explaining the value of ethanol and methanol as alternative fuels in Internal Combustion Engines, and the fact that since Henry Ford's time, 100 years ago, it was understood that alcohols can run Internal Combustion Engines better, and with fewer emissions, than gasoline can.

1. Bob Falco‟s
Annotated References
References that make the case that both
ethanol and methanol
aregood Internal Combustion Engine fuels,
and should be used in the US fuel mix
This is a continually renewed annotated reference list. Bob
Brusstar and Bakenhus 2010 “Economical High-Efficiency Engine Technologies for
Alcohol Fuels. Environmental Protection Agency, Ann Arbor, MI. National Vehicle and
Fuel Emissions Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI.
ABSTRACT: Alcohols fuels, principally methanol and ethanol, have the potential to displace a
substantial portion of the domestic petroleum consumption in the U. S., used either neat or in
blends with petroleum fuels. In order to develop effective policies that encourage economical
and environmentally-sustainable use of such fuels, engine technology options must be made
available that can achieve these ends. One promising option, being developed by the U.S.
EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, uses low-cost port-fuel-injection, spark-
ignition technology with neat alcohol fuels to reach peak brake thermal efficiency levels of
over 40%, comparable to state-of-the-art diesel engines. This research has more recently
been extended to a full range of blends with gasoline, demonstrating significant efficiency
gains using fuel containing as little as 30- 50% alcohol by volume. The engine research
program described in this work examines the efficiency benefits of higher compression ratio
and reduced intake air throttling, enabled by the high octane rating and high dilution tolerance
of alcohol fuels. The research centers on a turbocharged, diesel engine.
THE ALCOHOL ENGINE @ http://www.americanenergyindependence.com/alcoholengines.aspx
NOTES: Contains a good history of ethanol fuel. Points out that a combination of one hundred
billion gallons of synthetic alcohol, plus 30 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol plus 10 billion
gallons of corn ethanol would equal 140 billion gallons. That is possible; what are we waiting
for
L. Bromberg and W.K. Cheng (2010) Methanol as an alternative transportation fuel in the US: Options for
sustainable and/or energy-secure transportation (PSFC/RR-10-12)
FROM SUMMARY: Methanol has been used as a transportation fuel in US and in China. Flexible fuel
vehicles and filling stations for blends of methanol from M3 to M85 have been
deployed. It has not become a substantial fuel in the US because of its
introduction in a period of rapidly falling petroleum price which eliminates the

2. economic incentive, and of the absence of a strong methanol advocacy. Methanol
has been displaced by ethanol as oxygenate of choice in gasoline blends.
Nevertheless, these programs have demonstrated that methanol is a viable
transportation fuel.Large scale production of methanol from natural gas and coal is a well developed
technology. Methanol prices today are competitive with hydrocarbon fuels (on an
energy basis). There is progress on the economic conversion of biomass to
methanol using thermo-chemical processes. Sufficient feedstock of natural gas
and coal exists to enable the use of non-renewable methanol as a transition fuel to
renewable methanol from biomass. A variety of renewable feedstock is available
in the US for sustainable transportation with bio-methanol.
2011-24-0113
GEM Ternary Blends: Removing the Biomass Limit by using Iso-
Stoichiometric Mixtures of Gasoline, Ethanol and Methanol
J.W.G. Turner, R.J. Pearson and R. Purvis
Lotus Engineering
E. Dekker
BioMCN
K. Johansson and K. ac Bergström
Saab Automobile Powertrain AB
Copyright © 2011 Lotus Engineering
ABSTRACT
The paper presents the concept of ternary blends of gasoline, ethanol and methanol in
which the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio (AFR) iscontrolled to be 9.7:1, the same as that of
conventional „E85‟ alcohol-based fuel. This makes them iso-stoichiometric. Such blends
are termed „GEM‟ after the first initial of the three components. Calculated data is
presented showing how the volumetric energydensity relationship between the three
components in these blends changes as the stoichiometric AFR is held constant but
ethanolcontent is varied. From this data it is contended that such GEM blends can be
„drop-in‟ alternatives to E85, because when an engine isoperated on any of these blends
the pulse widths of the fuel injectors would not change significantly, and so there will be
no impact onthe on-board diagnostics from the use of such blends in existing
E85/gasoline flex-fuel vehicles. The resulting ability of such blendsto extend the reach of
a fixed amount of ethanol in the fuel pool is then demonstrated, together with the
mechanism by which theaddition of the methanol displaces additional gasoline. If the
methanol used is of a renewable and energy-secure nature then, for afixed volume of
ethanol in the fuel pool, an increased level of renewability and energy security is
achieved. This overall situation ismade possible by the fact that there are more E85/flex-
fuel vehicles in existence than can currently be serviced by the E85 fuel supply
chain. Example price calculations are conducted to show the points of potential price
competitiveness.
Preliminary tests with such GEM blends in a production-specification E85/gasoline
vehicle were conducted to show the validity ofthe approach, and the results are reported
together with fuel characteristics such as RON, MON and sensitivity. Road mileage is
alsoreported using one of the fuel blends. Together these findings show the attractiveness
of the concept and that there is therefore apossibility to significantly extend the use of
renewable alcohol fuel in the market due to the miscibility of gasoline, ethanol and

3. methanol. This is primarily because, when they are blended to a target stoichiometric
AFR, any of the blends possible shareessentially the same volumetric energy content,
RON, MON, sensitivity and latent heat (to within 4%). In turn, this makes taxation
and pricing of such fuels simple and straightforward, further removing roadblocks to
introduction.
2012-01-1279
GEM Ternary Blends: Testing Iso-Stoichiometric mixtures ofGasoline, Ethanol and
Methanol in a Production Flex-Fuel VehicleFitted with a Physical Alcohol Sensor
J.W.G. Turner, R.J. Pearson, M.A. McGregor and J.M. Ramsay
Lotus Engineering
E. Dekker
BioMCN
B. Iosefa
Methanex Corporation
G.A. Dolan
Methanol Institute
K. Johansson and K. ac Bergström
Saab Automobile Powertrain AB
Copyright © 2012 Lotus Cars
ABSTRACT
The paper presents vehicle-based test work using tri-component, or ternary, blends of
gasoline, ethanol and methanol for which thestoichiometric air-fuel ratio (AFR) was
controlled to be 9.7:1. This is the same as that of conventional „E85‟ alcohol-based fuel.
Suchternary blends are termed „GEM‟ after the first initial of the three components. The
present work was a continuation of an earliersuccessful project which established that the
blends were effectively invisible to a car using a virtual alcohol sensor. The vehicle
usedhere employed the other major technology in flex-fuel vehicles to determine the
proportion of alcohol fuel in the tank, a physicalalcohol sensor.
Another aspect of the present work included the desire to investigate ternary blend
replacements for E85 having low ethanolconcentrations. Evidence from the previous
work suggested that under specific conditions, ethanol was required in some amount to
act as a cosolvent for the gasoline and methanol in the blend. The present paper discusses
the position of the phase separationboundary with respect to the concentration of the
individual components, and determines new blends for test which are closer to this
boundary. These and other ternary blends were first tested on the road and in a cold
chamber, where cold startability was gauged at -20°C. All of the ternary blends were
found to start well except that corresponding to E85, which would not start at all at this
lowtemperature using this summer grade fuel.
Of the fuel blends tested in the first phase, four were selected for more-controlled
investigation in an emissions laboratory. Each wastested twice on the NEDC cycle under
cold and hot conditions. In addition, gasoline baseline tests (using the same procedure)
wereconducted at the start and end of the ternary blend tests. The ternary blends were
invisible to the vehicle, with no malfunctionindicator light activity at all.
An estimate of the cost of one of the blends (containing 10% by volume ethanol), based
on current individual costs of the individualcomponents, is made to be 10.1% cheaper

4. than gasoline, on an energy basis. Finally, there is a discussion of how renewable
methanolcan be introduced, aided by the ability of the existing flex-fuel vehicle fleet to
accept these fuel blends, and also of a means ofmanufacturing such fully-sustainable
methanol by a coupling of the electricity and gas grids to enable massive storage of
renewableenergy.
A key plot, and the basis of GEM mixtures being „easy‟ to introduce into E85 vehicles is:
ANY COMBINATION ALONGTHE X AXIS WILL WORK IN AN FFV
Nichols, R.J., “The Methanol Story: A Sustainable Fuel for the Future”, J. Sci. Ind.
Res., Vol. 62 , pp. 97-107, January-February
2003http://www.setamericafree.org/Rnichols.pdf
Accessed 18 Aug 2012
Notes: Roberta Nichols of FORD directed the Flex Fuel Vehicle Program.
Quote from her Abstract:
“Of the various choices, methanol appeared to be the best candida~ for long-term,
widespread replacement ofpetroleum-based fuels. Initial support by the government was
based on the desire for energy security, but the potential forimprovement in air quality
became an important driver as well. Experimental fleets of dedicated methanol vehicles
did wellin the field, but the lack of refueling infrastructure led to the development of the
flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), a vehicle thatcould operate on either gasoline or methanol
with only one fuel system Oll' board. Legislation was put in place to encouragethe auto
industry to begin production, which started in 1993 for the M85 FFV at Ford. By the end

5. of the decade, however,full production volumes had been transferred to the E85 FFV
(gasoline or ethanol). The technical, economic and politicalreasons for this shift are
emphasised and are discussed below, including visions for the future, and the direct
methanol fuel cell.”
Ward and Teague 1996 “Fifteen Years of Fuel Methanol Distribution in California”
http://www.methanol.org/Energy/Resources/Alternative-Fuel/CEC-1996-ISAF-Fuel-
Meoh-Paper.aspx accessed 16 Aug 2012
Conclusions:
The methanol demonstration program in
California hos resulted in a number of successes,
due primarily to cooperative efforts involving the
fuel retailing compnnies, the vehicle
manufacturers, vehicle fleet operators and state
and local governmental agencies. The program
has demonstrated the feasibility of methanol as a
transportation fuel in a variety of applications.
The future of methanol as a motor fuel is now at a
crossroads, poised as it is for further
commercialization and yet facing strong
competition from other fuels.
Black, F., “An Overview of the Technical Implications of Methanol and Ethanol as
Highway Motor Vehicle Fuels”, SAE paper number 912413 and SAE 1991
Transactions, Vol. 100, Sec. 4, pp. 1161-1190
Bossel, U., Eliasson, B. and Taylor, G., “The Future of the Hydrogen Economy:
Bright or Bleak?”, Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Journal, Vol. 18, No.
3, pp. 29-70, Summer 2003
Hagen, D.L., “Methanol as a Fuel: A Review with Bibliography”, SAE paper number
770792 and SAE 1977 Transactions, Sec. 4, pp. 2764-2796
Machiele, P.A., “Summary of the Fire Safety Impacts of Methanol as a
Transportation Fuel”, SAE paper number 901113, 1990
Olah, G.A., Goeppert, A. and Prakash, G.K.S., “Beyond Oil and Gas: The
Methanol Economy”, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KgaA, Weinheim,

6. Germany, 2006, ISBN 3-527-31275-7
Steinberg, M., “Methanol as an Agent for CO2 Mitigation”, Energy Convers.Mgmt,
Vol. 38, Suppl., pp. S423-S430, 1997
Weimer, T., Schaber, K., Specht, M. and Bandi, A., “Methanol from Atmospheric
Carbon Dioxide: A Liquid Zero Emission Fuel for the Future”, Energy Convers.
Mgmt, Vol. 37, Nos 6-8, pp. 1351-1356, 1996
Bergström, K. ac, Melin, S.-A. and Jones, C.C., “The New ECOTEC Turbo
BioPower Engine from GM Powertrain - Utilizing the Power of Nature's
resources”, 28th International Vienna Motor Symposium, Vienna, Austria, April
2007
Bergström, K. ac, Nordin, H., Königstein, A., Marriott, C.D. and Wiles, M.A.,
“ABC - Alcohol Based Combustion Engines - Challenges and Opportunities”,
16th Aachen Colloquium, Aachen, Germany, pp. 1031-1071, October 2007
Brewster, S., “Initial Development of a Turbo-charged Direct Injection E100
Combustion System”, SAE paper number 2007-01-3625 , 14th Asia-Pacific
Automotive Engineering Conference, Hollywood, CA, USA, August 2007
Brusstar, M., Stuhldreher, M., Swain, D. and Pidgeon, W., “High Efficiency and
Low Emissions from a Port-Injected Engine with Neat Alcohol Fuels”, SAE paper
number 2002-01-2743, SAE Powertrain & Fluid Systems Conference &
Exhibition, San Diego, CA, USA, October 2002
Brusstar, M.J. and Gray, C.L., “High Efficiency with Future Alcohol Fuels in a
Stoichiometric Medium Duty Spark Ignition Engine”, SAE paper number 2007-
01-3993, SAE Powertrain & Fluid Systems Conference & Exhibition, Chicago,

7. IL, USA, October 2007
Kowalewicz, A., “Methanol as a fuel for spark ignition engines: a review and
analysis”, Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs Journal of Automotive Engineering, Vol. 27,
Part D, pp.43-52, 1993
Pearson, R.J. and Turner, J.W.G., “Exploitation of Energy Resources and Future
Automotive Fuels”, SAE paper number 2007-01-0034, SAE Fuels and
Emissions Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 23rd-25thJanuary, 2007
Turner, J.W.G., Pearson, R.J., Holland, B. and Peck, B., “Alcohol-Based Fuels in
High Performance Engines”, SAE paper number 2007-01-0056, SAE Fuels and
Emissions Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 23rd-25thJanuary, 2007
Turner, J.W.G., Peck, A and Pearson, R.J., “Flex-Fuel Vehicle Development to
Promote Synthetic Alcohols as the Basis of a Potential Negative-CO2
Energy Economy”, SAE paper number 2007-01-3618, 14th Asia-Pacific Automotive
Engineering Conference, Hollywood, CA, USA, August 2007