Solid Fuel (Charcoal) Charcoal is a solid fuel used for heating and cooking. Although the use of charcoal can be detrimental to the environment, and people's health, charcoal is generally a better fuel for cooking than wood. Charcoal stoves tend to burn more efficiently and cleanly than wood stoves. This improvement is nice—but access to better fuels would be healthier. Charcoal is created through the process of carbonisation, which is a process where complex carbon substances—such as wood or other biomass—are broken down through a slow heating process into carbon and other chemical compounds. Liquid Fuel (Ethanol) (Ethanol chemical formula and structure) Ethanol is an alcohol fuel that’s distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar. It is also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and drinking alcohol, is the principal type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Most ethanol is produced using a four-step process: The ethanol feedstock (crops or plants) is ground up for easier processing; Sugar is dissolved from the ground material, or the starch or cellulose is converted into sugar. This is done through a cooking process. Microbes such as yeast or bacteria feed on the sugar, producing ethanol in a process called fermentation; essentially the same way beer and wine are made. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of this fermentation; The ethanol is distilled to achieve a high concentration. Gasoline or another additive is added so it cannot be consumed by humans – a process called denaturation. This way, the ethanol also avoids a tax on beverage alcohol. Gaseous Fuel (Acetylene) The hottest and most efficient of all fuel gases, acetylene (C2H2) provides high levels of productivity thanks to good localised heating with a minimum of thermal waste. It also requires the least amount of oxygen to ensure complete combustion. This flammable, colourless gas is lighter than air so does not accumulate at low levels, where it could cause a potential hazard. There are two basic conversion processes used to make acetylene. One is a chemical reaction process, which occurs at normal temperatures. The other is a thermal cracking process, which occurs at extremely high temperatures. Chemical reaction process Acetylene may be generated by the chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water. This reaction produces a considerable amount of heat, which must be removed to prevent the acetylene gas from exploding. There are several variations of this process in which either calcium carbide is added to water or water is added to calcium carbide. Thermal cracking process Acetylene may also be generated by raising the temperature of various hydrocarbons to the point where their atomic bonds break, or crack, in what is known as a thermal cracking process. After the hydrocarbon atoms break apart, they can be made to rebond to form different materials than the original raw materials. This process is widely used to convert oil or natural gas to a variety of chemicals.
