In the lab, hybrid fuels reach 95 to 102 octane

At the University of Sharjah’s Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, researchers tested four gasoline blends: HyperFuel-95, HyperFuel-98, HyperFuel-100 and HyperFuel-102. In laboratory tests, the formulations reached target ratings from 95 to 102 octane, a measure linked to a fuel’s resistance to engine knock, while improving several combustion-related properties compared with the base gasoline assessed in the study.

The team mixed petroleum-derived fractions with two oxygenated additives: isopropanol and methyl ester of dimate, shortened to MED. The study describes both as renewable fuel additives. MED is made by methoxylating isohexene, also called dimate, with methanol; isopropanol can be produced through ABE fermentation technology, using biomass feedstocks such as waste, vegetables, wood and algae.

MED did most of the antiknock work in the reported tests. Its research and motor octane numbers were 131.5 and 120, respectively, while isopropanol measured 117 and 99. The researchers ranked the blend components’ contribution to antiknock performance in this order: MED, reformate, isopropanol, gasoline Fischer–Tropsch components and light straight-run naphtha.

The recipes changed as the target rating rose. The blend used for HyperFuel-95 contained 15% GFT, 28% LSRN, 17% MED, 25% isopropanol and 15% reformate. The blend used for HyperFuel-102 contained 9% GFT, 17% LSRN, 20% MED, 25% isopropanol and 29% reformate. GFT refers to gasoline Fischer–Tropsch, while LSRN means light straight-run naphtha. The study says the adjustments were intended to balance petroleum-based and bio-based fractions while improving fuel quality.

And then what, concretely? If the formulations can be reproduced beyond the laboratory, they could offer a liquid-fuel route for some existing spark-ignition engines while the current gasoline fleet remains in use. The researchers tested octane quality, density, vapor pressure, distillation, oxidation stability, gum content and copper corrosion, using a Cooperative Fuel Research engine for research and motor octane measurements. For now, however, this is a laboratory result—not a fuel already supplied to drivers—and the reported work does not establish performance in vehicles or commercial availability.