Designed to Be Green, Economic, and Efficient: A Ketone-Ester-Alcohol-Alkane Blend for Future Spark-Ignition Engines.

Model-based fuel design can tailor fuels to advanced engine concepts while minimizing environmental impact and production costs. A rationally designed ketone-ester-alcohol-alkane (KEAA) blend for high efficiency spark-ignition engines was assessed in a multi-disciplinary manner, from production cost to ignition characteristics, engine performance, ecotoxicity, microbial storage stability, and carbon footprint. The comparison included RON 95 E10, ethanol, and two previously designed fuels. KEAA showed high indicated efficiencies in a single-cylinder research engine. Ignition delay time measurements confirmed KEAA's high auto-ignition resistance. KEAA exhibits a moderate toxicity and is not prone to microbial infestation. A well-to-wheel analysis showed the potential to lower the carbon footprint by 95 percent compared to RON 95 E10. The findings motivate further investigations on KEAA and demonstrate advancements in model-based fuel design.