Dor has championed its use of methanol as an alternative fuel for more than a decade. Working in close partnership with industry and environmental researchers,

Dor aims to deliver the advantages of methanol fuel to industry and consumers alike.

Methanol (CH₃O₃) occurs naturally in our environment and is readily available.

Widely available, methanol fuel is one of the world’s most common chemicals.

Methanol is an essential raw ingredient found in thousands of everyday products: from cosmetics and plastics to paints and more.

Also known as methyl alcohol, this clear, water-soluble chemical occurs naturally within our environment and has even been found in space.

Its use dates to ancient Egypt, where a mixture of substances – including methanol – was obtained from wood. However, it was not isolated until the scientist Robert Boyle achieved this. In 1661, Boyle successfully produced pure methanol by distilling boxwood.

Two centuries followed before its composition was truly understood.  Water-soluble and biodegradable, it is the simplest member of the group of organic chemicals known as alcohols. It comprises four parts hydrogen, one part oxygen and one part carbon.

A lightweight chemical, half of methanol fuel’s mass is oxygen. This allows it to burn more cleanly than most ‘fossil fuels’.

Methanol is a good energy carrier. As a liquid, methanol fuel is easier to transport and manage than gaseous fuels (eg hydrogen, methane).

Dor has conducted many experiments over the past two years in collaboration with the Electric Company and Ministry of Environmental Protection, including experiments in various applications in order to test emissions while burning methanol and heavy fuel oil (HFO). All tests have been completed according to the official methodology by a licensed laboratory on behalf of the environmental authorities.

Emission data were collected on CO2, CO, Sox, Nox, and other particles. The results show a 16% reduction in CO2 emissions between heavy fuel oil and methanol proving that methanol is the cleaner alternative.

Testing was completed in accordance with the official methodology of a licensed laboratory on behalf of the environmental authorities.

Increasingly, this renewable energy resource is relied upon to do everything from powering vehicles and ships to cooking food and heating homes.  In the transportation sector, for example, methanol fuel offers a cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel.

Methanol fuel’s production can be significantly cleaner than other fossil fuels, as well as hydrogen.

Traditionally, this fuel can be produced by natural gas or coal. The high environmental costs involved have given rise to greener ways of producing methanol.

While renewable methanol can be made from biomass, synthetic methanol fuel is possible using captured CO₂. In Iceland, Carbon Recycling International (CRI) is producing this from geothermal CO₂ and renewable hydrogen.

Renewable methanol like this keeps greenhouse gas emissions low in comparison to its fossil fuel stablemates – ensuring compliance with the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), which came into effect in 2021.

Even when this alternative fuel is produced using natural gas, the resulting greenhouse gas emissions remain lower than gasoline.

Studies ((Schröder et al, 2020) demonstrate the benefits of using suitable resources, such as waste wood and cultivated word, during production on an industrial scale.

As a company, Dor is leading a unique development that’s designed maximise air quality – particularly within cities and urban areas: we are leading the development of an industrial-strength engine powered by 100% methanol alternative fuel.

Our aim? To make our days of depending on diesel and oil to keep our goods and equipment moving a thing of the past.

Data

Road travel accounts is responsible for up to 75% of transport greenhouse gas emissions, according to data from the International Energy Agency (2018).

Heavy vehicles, such as trucks and mechanical equipment is a major contributor to air quality accounting for as much as 15% of total CO₂ emissions – significantly more than aviation (11%) and international shipping (10.6%).

Commenting on the report’s findings, the IEA states that: “Reducing CO₂ emissions in the transport sector over the next half-century will be a formidable task.”

Studies indicate that transportation is also responsible for more than half of the nitrates in the environment and is a major source of global warming.

This air pollution carries significant risk for many ecosystems including human health and environmental impact – particularly within urban environments. Pollutants include: particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and greenhouse gases (GHG).

For more than a decade, Dor Motors has been working to change this situation.