CONAT20102006 33 STUDY ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS 1 Anghel Chiru, 1 Sorin Săcăreanu*, Ruxandra-Cristina (Dica) Stanescu 1 ”Transilvania” University of Braşov, Romania KEYWORDS - alternative fuels, biofuels, physico-chemical properties ABSTRACT - This paper presents aspects regarding the physico-chemical properties of some alternative fuels used for automotive applications. Fossil fuel resources are non-renewable and are mainly responsible for the increasing human related greenhouse gas emissions and consequently for global climate change. This is an incentive for the research and development of modern, efficient and sustainable technologies to produce alternative fuels. Especially in the transport sector, renewable energy resources and technologies are a feasible solution to maintain reliability, and availability for a longer period. Several engines were tested with different alternative fuels and the results regarding the pollution level and properties of the fuels are presented. INTRODUCTION Currently, about half of the energy consumption is accomplished by oil. The diminution of current stocks imposes us to analyze, on medium and long term, the possibilities of replacement of this form of energy with others. Some available paths are the use of nuclear and the use of renewable energy. For stopping the climate change and reliance on oil, there is a pressing need for the diversification of fuels in the transport sector in general, and for road transport, specifically. As the oil barrel price raises, the production of alternative fuels and the exploitation of the biomass reserves are starting to be a competitive and viable solution. The utilization of biomass, which is almost carbon dioxide neutral, enables Figure 1 Mondial energy requirements. the production of a multitude of biofuels that can be used with no or minor modification in actual engines, thus assuring a smooth transition to future technologies such as electric vehicles or fuel-cell. The word biofuel is used to define all types of liquid and gaseous fuels that are mainly used in the transport sector and are produced from the renewable sources known as biomass. Some of the main advantages, in the view of the sustainable effect, consists in the fact that they are regenerable, so they will never end, they are offering a reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions, they provide regional development, social structure and agriculture, security of supply and new income ways in the agricultural domain. Humanity’s primary energy requirements are exceeded many times by the continuous regenerable plants but only a small part of the available biomass can be harvested for energy use due to ecological or technical