A Comparison of Automobile Fuels and Energy Production
In this laboratory investigation, my two partners and I designed an experiment to determine which fuel, ethanol or kerosene, would release the least amount of energy when burned, assessing their efficiency and their potential for producing pollutants. Through data collection and calculations concerning the enthalpies of combustion for each fuel, we determined the least-pollutive fuel to be ethanol. We further analyzed the structures of ethanol and kerosene in order to identify the factors responsible for their difference in enthalpies of combustion. The purpose in identifying this structural difference was to help us determine more fuel alternatives that could also result in lower enthalpies and minimize environmental impacts. This lab experiment was particularly interesting to me because of the environmental implications within our findings, and how similar experiments could be conducted to discover fuel sources that maintain a high level of efficiency without compromising environmental health and safety.
November 10, 2019
