Synthetic Fuels: French Orientations and Research

The research undertaken in France since 1981 in the field of alternative fuels includes both the ways of producing and the ways of using such products. These research projects mainly concern methanol, butanol-acetone system and, for diesel engines, vegetable-oil derivatives.

In the first phase, plans are being made to incorporate small proportions (less than 10%) of oxygenated organic products in premium gasoline without modifying either the specifications of the product or vehicle tuning conditions. Other research is being done on mixtures with a moderate or high methanol content (30, 50 or 90%) so as to examine the best possible methods for substituting larger amounts.