The 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) has attracted renewed global interest since its improved production methods were published in Nature and Science in 2007. Its high energy density makes it a promising biofuel and a possible alternative to gasoline. Consequently, a series of studies, led by the University of Birmingham, aims to assess the potential of DMF as an automotive energy carrier. These studies will include an analysis of the spray properties, the laminar flame characteristics, the engine performance, and the subsequent emissions. This paper examines the laminar flame characteristics from a quiescent homogeneous air−fuel mixture. The experiments were conducted using a constant volume vessel and were recorded by high speed schlieren visualization. By measurement of the flame growth following ignition, the laminar flame speed was determined. The calculation of flame stretch yielded the Markstein lengths and the laminar burning velocities. This paper presents the results of DMF combustion for a range of equivalence ratios (0.6−2.0) and initial temperatures (50−100 °C). The flame performance when using DMF is compared to EN228 gasoline and to the most commonly used biofuel substitute for gasoline, ethanol. The data shows that ethanol has the highest laminar burning velocity, followed by gasoline, and then DMF. In the 0.9−1.1 equivalence ratio range, the laminar burning velocity of DMF was very similar to gasoline and the difference was within 10%.

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Plastic waste is an ideal source of energy due to its high heating value and abundance. It can be converted into oil through the pyrolysis process and utilised in internal combustion engines to produce power and heat. In the present work, plastic pyrolysis oil is manufactured via a fast pyrolysis process using a feedstock consisting of different types of plastic. The oil was analysed and it was found that its properties are similar to diesel fuel. The plastic pyrolysis oil was tested on a four-cylinder direct injection diesel engine running at various blends of plastic pyrolysis oil and diesel fuel from 0% to 100% at different engine loads from 25% to 100%. The engine combustion characteristics, performance and exhaust emissions were analysed and compared with diesel fuel operation. The results showed that the engine is able to run on plastic pyrolysis oil at high loads presenting similar performance to diesel while at lower loads the longer ignition delay period causes stability issues. The brake thermal efficiency for plastic pyrolysis oil at full load was slightly lower than diesel, but NOX emissions were considerably higher. The results suggested that the plastic pyrolysis oil is a promising alternative fuel for certain engine application at certain operation conditions

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