High
molecular weight alcohol and ether fuels with their advanced
autoignition propensities and
oxygenated molecular structures are promising future fuel candidates
for compression-ignition engine application, because they can provide
improved combustion efficiencies and reduced pollutant emissions.
In addition, their production from lignocellulosic biomass as second-generation
biofuels offers an improved CO2 balance and avoids the
adverse impact of the first-generation biofuel production on the food
supply. This review aims to summarize the recent research progress
on the combustion of long-chain alcohols and ethers with more than
four carbon atoms, putting a particular emphasis on their fundamental
combustion kinetics. The article starts with aspects related to their
production routes, physical and chemical properties, and practical
applications, highlighting the resulting consequences for their potentials
as renewable fuels in comparison with conventional diesel fuels. This
is followed by a comprehensive evaluation of their fundamental ignition
and combustion characteristics. The existing chemical mechanisms for
the oxidation of higher alcohols and ethers are introduced in conjunction
with discussions of their development approaches. Their reaction kinetics
are further explored to understand the dependence of their combustion
behaviors on the molecule’s structural features, such as functional
groups and carbon chain length. In particular, the different influences
of the molecule size on the cetane numbers of longer alcohols and
ethers are analyzed. The review finishes with a discussion suggesting
directions for future experimental and numerical investigations, which
will allow deepening of the understanding of the combustion kinetics
of higher alcohol and ether fuels.
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