Researchers have developed a new method that converts ethanol to a better alternative fuel butanol more efficiently without producing unwanted byproducts.
Ethanol, which is produced from corn, is commonly-used as an additive in engine fuel as a way to reduce harmful emissions, but since ethanol is an oxygenated fuel, its use results in a lower energy output, as well as increased damage to engines via corrosion.
"Butanol is much better than ethanol as an alternative to gasoline," said lead researcher William Jones from University of Rochester in New York.
"It yields more energy, is less volatile, and does not cause damage to engines," Jones said.
The researchers developed a series of reactions that results in the selective conversion of ethanol to butanol.
In fact, Jones was able to increase the amount of ethanol converted to butanol by almost 25 percent over currently used methods.
The new method involves using iridium as the initial catalyst and nickel or copper hydroxide, instead of potassium hydroxide (KOH), in the next step.
"There is still more work to do," Jones said.
"We would like to have a catalyst that is less expensive than iridium," Jones noted.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
