Elena Magaril

Improvement of the environmental and operational characteristics of vehicles through decreasing the motor fuel density

The environmental and operational characteristics of motor transport, one of the main consumers of motor fuel and source of toxic emissions, soot, and greenhouse gases, are determined to a large extent by the fuel quality which is characterized by many parameters. Fuel density is one of these parameters and it can serve as an indicator of fuel quality. It has been theoretically substantiated that an increased density of motor fuel has a negative impact both on the environmental and operational characteristics of motor transport. The use of fuels with a high density leads to an increase in carbonization within the engine, adversely affecting the vehicle performance and increasing environmental pollution. A program of technological measures targeted at reducing the density of the fuel used was offered. It includes a solution to the problem posed by changes in the refining capacities ratio and the temperature range of gasoline and diesel fuel boiling, by introducing fuel additives and adding butanes to the gasoline. An environmental tax has been developed which allows oil refineries to have a direct impact on the production of fuels with improved environmental performance, taking into account the need to minimize the density of the fuel within a given category of quality.

Improving the environmental and performance characteristics of vehicles by introducing the surfactant additive into gasoline

The operation of modern vehicles requires the introduction of package of fuel additives to ensure the required level of operating characteristics, some of which cannot be achieved by current oil refining methods. The use of additives allows flexibility of impact on the properties of the fuel at minimal cost, increasing the efficiency and environmental safety of vehicles. Among the wide assortment of additives available on the world market, many are surfactants. It has been shown that the introduction of some surfactants into gasoline concurrently reduces losses from gasoline evaporation, improves the mixture formation during injection of gasoline into the engine and improves detergent and anticorrosive properties. The surfactant gasoline additive that provides significant improvement in the quality of gasoline used and environmental and operating characteristics of vehicles has been developed and thoroughly investigated. The results of studies confirming the efficiency of the gasoline additive application are herein presented.

Environmental assessment of the measures increasing the sustainability of motor transport

Ensuring the sustainable development of motor transport, whose emission of greenhouse gases and other contaminants is one of the main sources of air pollution, requires informed decision-making on the implementation of effective environmental protection measures. A simplified methodological approach to a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of these environmental protection measures has been developed. The offered approach has been approved at estimating application for motor fuels of the multipurpose additive, which increases both the energy efficiency and environmental safety of motor transport.

PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF ENERGY AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION: GLOBAL TASKS AND LOCAL ROUTES

Nowadays, when the energy, industry and transport sectors are adapting to climate change and need to reduce their environmental impact, it is vital that the optimal solutions are found for individual countries and their different circumstances. Territories, which have a hydrocarbon deficit, should use non-conventional energy sources while the countries with substantial resources of hydrocarbons should be focused on the strategy of raising the energy efficiency, i.e. to reduce the specific consumption of fuel consumed. The paper discusses these scenarios and describes some innovative technologies for both cases. Energy production from biomass is encouraged in some European countries by the granting of generous economic subsidies so that renewable energy plants, such as anaerobic digestion plants that produce biogas for use in internal combustion engines, in particular, are receiving much funding. An alternative technology for biogas valorisation could be that of biomethane (so called green gas) production through biogas purification and upgrading processes to remove CO2, H2S and water vapour. Different technologies have been proposed to remove CO2 from gas streams, such as physical absorption, absorption by chemical solvents, cryogenic and membrane separation and CO2 fixation by chemical or biological methods. Production of biomethane and its introduction into the natural gas grid or its use as a fuel for vehicles could increase the energy efficiency and reduce specific emissions (combined cycle gas turbines, district heating of CHP units, methane powered vehicles). A simple and low-cost method of improving energy efficiency and environmental safety of transport by introducing into hydrocarbon fuels micro doses of a universal multifunctional additive is proposed. The method will make a significant contribution towards solving the problems of adapting to global climate change and improving the environment. It is capable of reducing specific fuel consumption by up to 12% and the requirements for a gasoline octane number by 10 points. It significantly reduces emission levels of greenhouse gases and toxic substances and provides complex improvement of the properties of fuels and the condition of engines.

Energy from Biomass for Sustainable Cities

One of the major challenges of sustainable urban development is ensuring a sustainable energy supply while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The European Union Directive 2009/28/EC has set a goal of obtaining 20 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. In this context, it is possible to consider the use of residues from forest maintenance, residues from livestock, the use of energy crops, the recovery of food waste, and residuals from agro-industrial activities. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the consequent environmental impact. In this paper an approach in order to evaluate the environmental compatibility has presented. The possibilities of national priorities for commissioning of power plants on biofuel and other facilities of distributed generation are discussed.

Sustainability in automotive transport: Russian and Italian experience concerning actual situation and intervention tools

The air quality in metropolitan areas of Russia and Italy, although with different distribution and intensity, raises similar concerns for the respective public authorities about vehicle emissions, as well as about the stagnation of toxic pollutants in urban areas. This article discusses some typical situations in both these countries. In order to obtain suitable solutions to diminish this form of impact, different tools that are based on different approaches can be proposed. It is necessary to consider both the practical possibility of application and the cost-benefit balance that takes into account the realization cost and industrial system transformation on one side, and the results in terms of air quality improvement on the other. The different instruments (technological intervention on engines, chemical modification of fuels, mobility and road infrastructural planning) are presented for the considered countries, and also in more developed European and American areas, with a concentrated interest in areas of applicability, costs and obtained results. The externality of this form of pollution is presented and discussed, and the aspect of limitation of impact and consequent external costs is evaluated in comparison with monetary and infrastructural costs for emissive system modification

Improved Energy Efficiency and Environmental Safety of Transport Through the Application of Fuel Additives and Alternative Fuels

At the current state of transport industry development and increasing vehicle fleet, an urgent task is to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of vehicle operation. The impact of automotive transport creates today a situation of unsustainability in metropolitan areas of every part of the world: strong concerns are addressed to emissions of conventional pollutants from energy production and also from specific toxic components.

Impact of vehicles on air quality in Russia and Italy and mechanisms for sustainable development of road transport

Air quality in the megacities of Russia and Italy, despite their different specificity, causes similar concerns of the relevant state authorities with respect to vehicle emissions, as well as the concentration of toxic pollutants in urban areas. The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of vehicles on air quality in Russia and Italy and discussion of possible approaches to reducing the negative consequences of the operation of motor vehicles. The application of various methods (engine improvement, improvement of fuel quality, development of road infrastructure, improvement of traffic organization) is discussed for both countries, as well as for other regions, with emphasis on the applicability aspects, costeffectiveness ratio. Externalities caused by transport pollution are considered with an assessment of the possibilities of limiting the impact and preventing environmental damage, as well as taking into account financial and infrastructural costs.