Blends of low carbon and conventional fuels with improved performance characteristics
The present invention provides a blended fuel and methods for producing the blended fuel, wherein a low carbon fuel derived from a renewable resource such as biomass, is blended with a traditional, petroleum derived fuel. A blended fuel which includes greater than 10% by volume of low carbon fuel has an overall improved lifecycle greenhouse gas content of about 5% or more compared to the petroleum derived fuel. Also, blending of the low carbon fuel to the traditional, petroleum fuel improves various engine performance characteristics of the traditional fuel.
1. A blended fuel comprising:
(a) about 5% to about 90%, by volume, of a petroleum fuel; and
(b) about 95% to about 10% by volume of a low carbon fuel produced using a thermochemical or biochemical conversion process,
wherein the low carbon fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least about 50% lower than a wells-to-wheels greenhouse gas content of a petroleum fuel, and the low carbon fuel has at least two performance characteristic values measurable by ASTM tests which are about 30% improved than corresponding performance characteristic values of the petroleum fuel; and
wherein the blended fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least 5% lower than the well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content of the petroleum fuel, and the blended fuel has at least two performance characteristic values measurable by ASTM tests which are at least about 5% improved than corresponding performance characteristic values of the petroleum fuel.
2. The blended fuel of claim 1 , wherein the performance characteristic values are any two of a cetane number, a lubricity value, a sulfur content, and an oxidative stability value.
3. The blended fuel of claim 2 , wherein the lubricity value of the low carbon fuel is at least 30% lower than the lubricity value of the petroleum fuel measured by ASTM 6079.
4. The blended fuel of claim 2 , wherein the cetane number of the low carbon diesel fuel is at least 30% higher than the cetane number of the petroleum diesel fuel measured by ASTM D613.
5. The blended fuel of claim 2 , wherein the lubricity value of the low carbon fuel is less than about 450 microns by HFRR at 60° C. (scar) measured by ASTM D 6079.
6. The blended fuel of claim 2 , wherein the lubricity value of the blended fuel is less than about 450 microns by HFRR at 60° C. (scar) measured by ASTM 6079.
7. The blended fuel of claim 2 , wherein the cetane number of the low carbon fuel is greater than about 65 measured by ASTM 613.