ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE FUEL TO REDUCE TURKEY'S PETROLEUM IMPORTS: E85 (FLEX FUEL)

Abstract: Due to the rapid depletion of petroleum-derived fuels, the reduction of consumption of these fuels and increasing the use of fuels produced from renewable sources are one of the important objectives in all countries. One of the alternative fuels that are less harmful to the environment, renewable and sustainable is bioethanol. Bioethanol is a clean fuel that can be obtained from agricultural products, agricultural production residues or other products containing cellulose. When bioethanol is mixed with gasoline at low proportions as %5-10, it can be used without any changes in spark-ignition engines. The E85 fuel consists of a mixture of 85% bioethanol and 15% gasoline. The use of this fuel in vehicles requires a small and low-cost change in the engine. Once the vehicle has been modified, the vehicle is defined as a flexible fuel vehicle and the desired fuel can be used (gasoline, E10, E15 or E85). The price of E85 fuel is approximately 25% cheaper than gasoline in international markets, while E85 fuel consumption is approximately 30% more. However, because the octane number of E85 fuel is too high, it can produce more power than gasoline. In addition, the exhaust emissions of this fuel are very low. Large agricultural areas and wide agricultural product range in Turkey is a very big advantage to produce E85. In this way, fuel need can be supply from domestic sources in Turkey.