NO MORE GAS MASKS?

Speed has been the driving force of all inventions. In our quest for faster means of mobility, we often have to pay too heavy a price. The noxious gas-spewing automobiles and the fast depletion of fossil fuels needed to run them have become a threat, which just cannot be ignored. 

Addressing these twin problems, the department of mechanical engineering, Jadavpur University, recently hosted the 16th national conference on Internal Combustion (IC), 'Engines and Combustion', at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. The conference was aimed at looking for alternative fuels and a new breed of engines. This need was emphasised by Shymal Kumar Sen, former governor of West Bengal, in his speech. 

Ideal substitutes for petroleum fuels are the bio-solar fuels like alcohol, natural gas and hydrogen. These are not only environment friendly but also save a huge chunk of foreign exchange earnings spent by India on oil imports. The dual advantages of these fuels were delineated by H. B. Mathur, professor, Delhi College of Engineering. 

According to Prof. Mathur, vehicles plying in Delhi emit about 810 tonnes of carbon monoxide, 310 tonnes of hydrocarbons and 160 tonnes of nitrogen oxides every day. A similar, if not worse, situation exists in Calcutta. "As 80 lakh to one million cars ply in Calcutta, we breathe in a hellish environment," noted Prof. S. K. Sanyal, dean, faculty of engineering and technology, JU. 

However, such musings on darker statistics soon gave way to a discussion on the introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG), a renewable and eco-friendly fuel. 

CNG is mainly methane with small percentages of hydrocarbons (ethane, butane and propane) and other paraffins along with carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen. Recoverable resources of more than 700 billion cubic metres of CNG in India make it the right candidate for a substitute fuel. Burning of CNG produces no lead or sulphur compounds. Tests carried out on CNG-powered cars showed nearly 80-95 per cent reduction in exhaust carbon monoxide and 10-30 per cent reduction in hydrocarbon emission. But, mindless urbanisation has left almost no space for setting up CNG stations in India. 

Besides CNG, ethanol or ethyl alcohol can serve as another environment-friendly substitute fuel. A host of cheap and easily available raw materials like vegetable matter, growing crops, farm waste, tropical grasses, organic waste products like straw and saw dust, water gas, industrial waste like molasses and sulphide liquor can produce ethanol. 

Prof. Mathur conducted tests using ethanol-gasoline blends to run vehicles. Periodic monitoring of the exhaust pollutants showed a sharp fall in exhaust carbon monoxide. But, so far, hydrogen seems to be the best alternative since it can be produced from water. 

The most interesting revelation came from R. Santhanam, executive vice-president, Hindustan Motors, Chennai, who projected a future of battery powered, driverless and 100 per cent emission-free vehicles.