Auburn, Ala. -Auburn University announced in a statement that researchers leading a $2 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with goals of improving the economy and fuel efficiency.
The project creates a fuel additive that can be blended with diesel fuel to reduce soot, green house gas emissions and result in cleaner engine operations in colder weather.
“We are developing an integrated bioprocess for efficient butyl acetate (BA) production,” said Yi Wang, principal investigator for the project and assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering in Auburn University’s College of Agriculture. “We anticipate that adding BA to diesel fuel will reduce pollutants and costs associated with meeting environmental regulations.”
This energy project is one of 42 Department of Energy projects that total $42 million with about $10.1 million going to the funding of six projects.
Cornell University, Virginia Tech and the University of Alabama join Auburn as collaborators in the research.
Researchers at Cornell University and the University of Alabama will test the fuel blended by Auburn research in order to understand how the fuel mix reacts in commercial trucks.
“Our engine facilities and capabilities complement well with Auburn’s ability to produce the fuel,” said Joshua A. Bittle, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.
