A review on higher alcohol of fusel oil as a renewable fuel for internal combustion engines: Applications, challenges, and global potential

Global warming, climate change, crisis about the energy price, and supply are the main issues in the world and the petroleum-based energy supplement is the main responsible for these problems. More specially, environmental concerns peaked after the critical carbon dioxide level exceeded. Increasing the percentage of clean and renewable energy sources while compensating energy demand became mandatory than ever before. At that point, alcohols are attractive alternative fuels to gasoline and diesel, especially in terms of harmful exhaust emissions. The effects of the typical alcohols such as ethanol methanol, butanol etc., were examined in detail up to date. Fusel oil is a higher alcohol obtained during the fermentation process as a byproduct, and its usage in internal combustion engines took attention during the last decade. In this study, a comprehensive review was conducted about the potential usage of the fusel oil in internal combustion engines as a renewable and clean energy source. The potential production of the fusel oil and its properties as a fuel were discussed. The engine performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of the fusel oil on spark ignition, compression ignition, and homogeneous charge compression ignition engines were also examined in detail. The findings indicated that the performance characteristics of fusel oil are similar o ethanol, which may increase the application area of it.