Preface

The human population of our planet is projected to be over 11 billion by 2100, and the majority of this increased population will be contributed by developing countries in Asia and Africa. Global population growth has resulted in a constant and ever-increasing demand for transportation fuels. The greatest source of concern is the carbon emissions produced by the use of fossil fuels and their negative influence on the environment. The global energy scenario of the 21st century clearly reveals the transition of the fuel market and economy from fossil fuels to carbon-neutral fuels or to a decarbonized fuel system. The three most important liquid transport biofuels commercially available that are used in internal combustion (IC) engines are bioethanol, biodiesel and green diesel. Bioethanol, mainly produced by a fermentation process, is primarily used as a substitute for gasoline in spark ignition (SI) engines and is used in blending proportions such as E-5, E-10 and E-20. In contrast, biodiesel, mainly produced by a transesterification process, is a suitable substitute for diesel fuel in compression ignition (CI) engines and is also used in blending proportions such as B-10 and B-20. Moreover, green diesel (cetane number ∼ 90), mainly produced by hydroprocessing technology, is considered to be a better substitute for both biodiesel and petrodiesel fuels for CI engines owing to its higher efficiency and environmental benefits. Globally, all these biofuels have been covered in a wide range of scientific literature including academia and research and hence require no further discussion here.

Green gasoline is currently considered as an emerging and sustainable green spark transportation fuel for SI engines owing to its origin from biomass resources. Green gasoline is a mixture of chemical compounds derived from plants. However, green gasoline is not a carbon-free fuel, but its carbon footprint is claimed to be at least half that of petroleum-refined gasoline. Moreover, green gasoline is naturally free from sulfur, which degrades the effectiveness of catalytic converters and contributes to ground-level ozone. Three main processes are used to convert plants into gasoline fuel, namely gasification, pyrolysis and aqueous-phase processing. Scientists and researchers around the world are working on different approaches to produce green gasoline. However, there is not a single specific book available on “Green Gasoline” in international markets. Bearing in mind the significant contributions in the field of green transportation fuels, the present Editors were very enthusiastic to step forward with an initiative to produce the first specific book on green gasoline. The editors are proud to have edited this book dedicated to green gasoline, which it is hoped will provide a forceful foundation to graduate engineers, technocrats and researchers in the fields of mechanical, chemical and automobile science, energy science, engineering, etc. In addition, this book aims to help to attract professionals and entrepreneurs working in the domain of green energy to set up new green gasoline refineries throughout the world and hence contribute towards a sustainable and greener future.

This book is intended to cover the most important and fundamental aspects of green gasoline from its origin to future perspectives. Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the origin and history of green gasoline and the fundamental properties and feedstocks used for its production, including first, second and third generation. Chapter 3 emphasizes the current lignocellulosic biomass logistics and associated challenges. The conversion technologies and catalytic materials employed for green gasoline processing are discussed in Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 discusses recent advances and challenges in biobutanol production. The conversion of biomass into green gasoline, including technological advances, commercial scope, integrated production processes, future perspectives and technoeconomic feasibility, is covered in Chapters 7 and 8. Chapters 9 and 10 emphasize the characterization of green gasoline and provide a comparative analysis of various green transportation fuels, namely green gasoline, bioethanol, biodiesel and green diesel fuels. The expediency of green gasoline in IC engines and green anti-knock agents used for the enhancement of gasoline performance are discussed in Chapters 11 and 12. Technoeconomic analysis of green gasoline fuel is discussed in Chapter 13. A technical review of green gasoline as a commercial liquid fuel throughout Asia, Europe and the USA is presented in Chapter 14. Important aspects such as sustainability performance of green gasoline by a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach are discussed in Chapter 15. Finally, Chapter 16 provides an economic analysis and addresses the future perspectives of green gasoline.

Mohammad Aslam

Shrikant Maktedar

Anil Kumar Sarma