Onboard Separation Technology to Boost Fuel Economy

A technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory  could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions, as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery system. Designed to work with a car’s existing fuel, the onboard separation technology is the first to use chemistry, versus a physical membrane, to separate ethanol-blended gasoline into high- and low-octane fuel components. An octane-on-demand system could then meter out the appropriate fuel mixture to the engine depending on the power required: higher octane for accelerating, and lower octane for idling.