Do you support the use of methanol gasoline or dimethyl ether diesel?

Of course it is supported; this is a direction for China’s energy development. In the face of rising international crude oil prices, **relevant standards will be introduced.

I support the use of methanol gasoline and dimethyl ether diesel. China is a country with limited oil resources; it relies on its own efforts and works hard to survive. Not constrained by others.

Of course, we support it – clean energy and the saving of foreign exchange. . . . . .

Considering various factors such as safety in use, storage and transportation, as well as engine modifications, these two compounds are not suitable to be used as additives or alternatives in vehicle fuels; they should be converted into more appropriate products for use, such as ethanol-blended gasoline. DME is more suitable as a civilian fuel or for producing corresponding chemical products through MTO, MTP, or even MTG.

Support. Here is information obtained from other sources: Research on future vehicle fuels is being carried out worldwide, with research on methanol attracting particular attention. Although methanol fuel has many advantages [17], it also has the following problems: methanol has a high latent heat of vaporization, so the temperature of the mixture drops more during vaporization than with gasoline, which makes cold starting of vehicles difficult ； A mixture of methanol and gasoline faces solubility issues when the methanol concentration is too high. Shirtum et al. proposed that dimethyl ether can be used directly as a vehicle fuel after being liquefied [18], and its combustion performance is better than that of methanol. In addition to possessing all the advantages of methanol combustion, it can also overcome the shortcomings of methanol fuel, as dimethyl ether in a reduced-pressure state is gaseous, eliminating the problem of cold starts in vehicles. Dimethyl ether fuel has a high cetane number, making it an ideal fuel for diesel engines. When using dimethyl ether as fuel, vehicle exhaust does not require catalytic conversion, and it can meet the ultra-low emission standards for vehicles in California, United States (1988) [19]. 　　Fleisch et al. [20] found that using dimethyl ether (70%–95%), methanol (~20%), and a small amount of water as fuel for diesel engines results in little change in operational efficiency, while HC emissions in the exhaust gases are reduced by about 50%. Numerous studies have also shown that using dimethyl ether or a mixture of dimethyl ether and gasoline as vehicle fuel can **reduce NOx emissions in exhaust gases, lower vehicle noise, and enable smoke-free combustion [21–24]**. Sorenson’s research found that dimethyl ether performs well when used in single-engine DI (diesel index) diesel vehicles. The advantages include high thermal efficiency, low noise levels, a 75% reduction in NOx emissions, CO levels in the exhaust equal to those of diesel, and no failures occurring after 500 hours of engine operation [25]. 　　Lead poses significant hazards to the environment and humans; therefore, the use of leaded gasoline has been banned in many places. Currently, the main additives used in gasoline are various ether-based organic compounds, such as MTBE and DIPE (diisopropyl ether), etc. Using dimethyl ether as a gasoline additive results in a higher O/CH value compared to other ether compounds; in other words, its high oxygen content enables more complete combustion of gasoline, improves its vaporization efficiency to some extent, and lowers its freezing point. According to available information, the United States has added dimethyl ether to aviation kerosene, which not only improves the efficiency of engines but also yields excellent results. To date, there are no research reports on this topic in China.

Since the 1990s, countries in Europe and the United States have paid great attention to methanol-based gasoline. However, it has never been able to establish an industry abroad; there is resistance from automobile manufacturers, but more importantly, there are issues such as environmental hazards caused by toxicity. Due to the issues with our energy structure, our country may have to do so. But caution is also needed. Dimethyl ether should be more promising.

The problem with dimethyl ether is that it is in gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure. Although it could serve as a substitute for diesel, issues such as its storage and transportation, fueling systems, leakage problems, and the requirements for fuel tanks – issues that may seem simple – render it unsuitable for use. At least from what I know, the feedback is negative; I’ve talked to people from oil and major coal companies about this issue, and they also hold a negative view. There’s not much to say about the issues with methanol; everyone can look up information on their own

Strongly support. Due to the non-renewable nature of oil resources, efforts are being made worldwide to develop alternative fuels for future vehicles. In comparison, conventional alternative fuels for engines such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas (CNG, LNG), methanol, etc., all have an octane number of less than 10, and are only suitable for spark-ignition engines ； DME has a high cetane number and excellent compressibility, making it very suitable for compression-ignition engines; it is an ideal alternative fuel for diesel engines. By using DME fuel, no catalytic conversion is required for the exhaust gases; as a result, the emissions of nitrogen oxides and soot particles meet the ultra-low emission standards for fuel-powered vehicles in California, and engine noise can also be reduced. Research shows that existing car engines can be used with DME fuel with only minor modifications. Furthermore, economic studies by Amoco Oil Company show that although the cost of DME is higher than that of diesel, its costs and pollution levels are lower than those of low-pollution alternative fuels such as liquid propane. The Department of Automotive Engineering at the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, has used DME as a substitute for diesel in experiments on diesel engines. In collaboration with FAW, they developed China’s first diesel engine vehicle powered by dimethyl ether. Experiments have shown that the use of DME can increase engine power by 10–15%, improve thermal efficiency by 2–3%, and reduce noise levels by 10–15%. Compared to diesel engines, the use of DME results in complete elimination of soot emissions from the engine. Nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced by 50% to 70%, unburned hydrocarbon emissions are reduced by 30%, and CO emissions are reduced by 20%. These emission levels not only meet the European III standards but are also close to the emission standards that will come into effect in Europe in 2005, as well as the ultra-low emission standards in California, USA. Taking our country as an example, after decades of development, it has become a major automobile nation. In 2002, the number of cars sold was 3.25 million, while the total number of cars in use was around 20.7 million. It is estimated that by 2007, the annual production of cars in our country will reach 4.5 million, with the total number of cars in use reaching 35 million. Both automobile production and the number of vehicles in use have seen significant growth, which in turn has driven a rapid increase in the demand for fuel for vehicles in the country. From 1990 to 2001, China’s production of vehicle fuel oils (gasoline, coal oil, and diesel) increased from 50.38 million tons to 123.19 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of 8.5% ； The apparent consumption of refined oil products (gasoline, coal oil, and diesel) increased from 49 million tons to 119.47 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of 8.4%. In China’s refined oil consumption, diesel accounts for about 62%; the consumption volume in 2002 was 76.62 million tons, and this consumption of diesel is increasing rapidly, with the consumption volume expected to reach around 98.68 million tons by 2007. In recent years, the supply and demand imbalance of diesel in China has been prominent. DME possesses excellent combustion properties, making it an excellent alternative fuel to diesel. Assuming a substitution rate of 5%, it is estimated that around 4.15 million tons of diesel could be replaced by DME in 2005, and around 5.05 million tons by 2010. It is clear that DME, as a fuel for vehicles, can help alleviate the shortage of diesel in China, indicating broad market prospects for it.

Full support: Methanol gasoline is formally known as \"93# (M) High-Standard Clean Gasoline.\" It is a type of clean fuel for vehicles, created by adding a certain proportion – usually 15% – of modified fuel methanol to international lead-free gasoline on a volume or weight basis, through strict scientific processes. It has the same application range and performance as lead-free gasoline of the same grade; it can be used alone or in combination, without any need to modify the engine structure. It is abbreviated as MH15 methanol gasoline. The use of methanol-blended gasoline can reduce the harmful emissions of CO and HC in vehicle exhaust by 30% to 50%, making it one of the effective ways to address motor vehicle emission pollution and improve environmental quality. The development of methanol gasoline was achieved by building on the research findings regarding alcohol-based fuels both domestically and internationally, through innovations in additives and formulation techniques. It successfully overcomes the technical problems associated with methanol gasoline prepared using traditional methods, such as layering and emulsification upon contact with water, difficulty in starting at low temperatures, air blockage at high temperatures, corrosion and swelling, reduced power output, and increased fuel consumption. After years of testing involving hundreds of thousands of vehicle trips, as well as trials in which each vehicle was driven for 15 kilometers, it has been proven that this product maintains its original power level; fuel consumption is slightly reduced, starting performance is good, and exhaust emissions are low. (MH15) The methanol gasoline technology product has passed the following tests and inspections: Product quality inspection by the Shanxi Provincial Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute ； Whole-vehicle bench and full-road comparison tests by the Automobile Quality Supervision and Inspection Station of the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Technical Supervision ； Vehicle exhaust emission monitoring by the Shanxi Provincial Environmental Monitoring Center ； Testing of vehicle engine combustion systems and fuel supply systems by the Shanxi Provincial Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute ； Inspection of the material suitability of the fuel supply system at Taiyuan Motor Vehicle Parts Quality Inspection Station ； For the occupational disease screenings of employees at the Shanxi Provincial Occupational Disease Hospital, all relevant indicators meet or exceed the corresponding standards. Furthermore, according to the evaluation of the results conducted by the Science and Technology Department of Shanxi Province, the technology behind this project is at a leading level in China, and it meets the conditions for industrialization and widespread application.