DOE Co-Optima report shows blendstock research could have major GHG impacts

In Colorado, a report released this month highlights the most significant breakthroughs of the last year in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, with details on findings that could translate into significant greenhouse gas (GHG) and tailpipe emissions reductions. Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and eight other national laboratories are collaborating to examine how simultaneous improvements to vehicle fuels and engines can boost energy efficiency and the use of renewable fuels, while cutting emissions. 

Much of the Co-Optima research focuses on components known as blendstocks, which can be produced from a wide spectrum of domestic resources, including renewable biomass—such as forestry, agricultural, and food waste—and combined with petroleum-based fuels. Co-Optima researchers have made significant progress in understanding blendstocks’ impacts on vehicle efficiency and emissions, with Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) research concentrating on multimode combustion strategies for light-duty (LD) vehicles and mixing-controlled compression ignition (MCCI) and advanced compression ignition (ACI) strategies for medium-duty (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) vehicles.