IFP group studying ethanol potential in diesel

Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent

PARIS, Jan. 17 -- Total SA of France and Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA are part of the international consortium that Paris-based Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) launched last spring to study the feasibility and utilization potential of ethanol for the production of diesel motor fuels, IFP said.

Called "Ethanol for Diesel," or E4D, the consortium also includes automobile manufacturers Renault and Sweden's VolvoPowertrain for the period covering 2007-09. E4D also is open to other partners.

Based on the expertise of IFP and the consortium partners, the research will study the impact of this type of motor fuel on the combustion process and on the optimization of engines in terms of performance and polluting emissions.

A solid base of experimental data could be established—a first step toward the direct incorporation of ethanol into the diesel chain, IPF said. Diversifying the types of motor fuels used in the diesel pool could, in the short term—and in the current context of the European market's strong dieselization trend—contribute to reestablishing the diesel-gasoline balance that is negatively impacting refinery streams.

It also could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels, IFP said.