Determination of the alternative butanol/gasoline and butanol/diesel fuel blends heats of combustion by a heat-loss compensated semi-microcalorimeter

The heat of combustion (HOC) of butanol/gasoline and butanol/diesel fuel blends was systematically determined in a Parr 6725/6772 heat-loss compensated semi-microcalorimeter under controlled temperature and pressure conditions. A set of blends containing 15 and 30% of butanol, in mass fraction, was tested, and the results were compared to those obtained for pure ethanol, pure gasoline, pure diesel, and Brazilian commercial gasoline. In view of the high volatility of samples, the use of gelatin capsules was necessary to avoid evaporation losses during the critical step of sampling. Results evidenced that despite a slight energy reduction observed for all blends, HOC values remained quite close to those measured for gasoline and diesel, even when considering blends with 30% of butanol in mass fraction, which reduction does not exceed 8.5%. Compared to ethanol, a HOC up to 14.7% higher was achieved for butanol. The present work confirms that in mass fractions up to 30%, butanol can be satisfactorily blended with gasoline and diesel without causing major impacts on the fuel energy density and, more than that, can offer energy advantage compared to ethanol.