Poly(oxymethylene) dimethyl ethers (OME) show promising fuel properties enabling drop-in into the existing infrastructure, especially as an alternative or additive to diesel fuel leading to a significant reduction in local...

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To counteract greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions, ambitious regulatory measures with respect to energy generation, supply and consumption have been set. In the fuel sector, successive substitution of common fossil fuels by non‐fossil ones is a promising option to meet the respective demands. Regarding diesel fuels, the use of oxymethylene ethers (OMEs) has been proposed. Especially OMEs of the type CH3O(CH2O)nCH3 (n = 3 – 5) exhibit properties that are similar to common diesel fuel and formation of soot and NOx is drastically reduced during combustion. Within this work, recent progress regarding production, application and evaluation of OMEs is summarized and discussed.

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Oligomeric oxymethylene dimethyl ethers (OME n , CH 3 (OCH 2 ) n OCH 3 , n = 1 -5) are promising diesel fuels for the reduction of harmful emissions. If OMEs are produced from dimethoxymethane and trioxane, the resulting OME mixtures usually contain residual trioxane which appears, after rectification, in the OME 2 fraction. To circumvent this obstacle, substoichiometric amounts of trioxane have been employed in OME synthesis. Thus, OME 2 samples with high purity could be prepared. Physicochemical and fuel data of high purity OME 2 and higher OMEs have been determined to supplement previously reported data.

Recent progress regarding the production of alternative liquid fuels is described with a focus on catalyst development. Fuels for spark ignition engines as well as diesel fuels are considered and their potentials regarding the reduction of harmful emissions are addressed. Two main strategies are described. The first implies production of synthesis gas from renewables or CO 2 and subsequent synthesis of methanol or dimethyl ether. Both can be further converted to a series of valuable fuels, e.g., high-quality gasoline or oxymethylene ethers. The second strategy comprises the production of ethanol and its conversion to gasoline.

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Thomas Hirth on the occasion of his 60th birthdayOxymethylene ethers (OME) are an attractive alternative to fossil diesel fuel due to strongly reduced harmful emissions. An anhydrous, liquid phase production process based on dimethyl ether (DME) has been elaborated, which offers high selectivity and economic advantages. A catalyst screening for the reaction of DME with trioxane has been carried out. Highly active catalysts could be identified and further insight into the relationship between catalyst properties and catalytic performance could be gained. Furthermore, production in a continuous process could be realized, disclosing the influence of kinetics on OME formation and enabling a better understanding of the reaction mechanism.

The faradaic response of ferrocene–methanol when used as a mediator for the catalytic oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase was examined in a range of electrolytes. The response was modulated by the nature of the salt used. A two‐fold difference was observed with the sodium salts of fluoride and thiocyanate, with a 24 % difference between NaCl and KCl. The changes in the response can be explained by the Hofmeister effect, with specific ion effects arising between the mediator and the co‐substrate binding pocket of the enzyme. Such differences can significantly affect the response of electrochemically mediated glucose biosensors and biofuel cells and emphasise the importance of carefully considering the solution conditions when evaluating the properties of glucose oxidase based biosensors and biofuel cells.