RUDN University chemists have developed environmentally friendly fuel additives
Fuel additives improve engine performance and efficiency, help protect parts from wear and corrosion, clean the fuel system of deposits and contaminants, and reduce emissions. However, most traditional additives are harmful to the environment. This is due to their content of heavy metals - lead and manganese, as well as sulphur and chlorinated compounds. These elements accumulate in ecosystems, which causes imbalance and harms living organisms.
RUDN University chemists together with scientists from Iran, Ecuador and Spain have developed environmentally friendly fuel additives. Their use will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful substances by 30%, reduce air and soil pollution due to the absence of toxic components. It will also reduce the cost of operating vehicles and machinery by extending engine life and reducing repair costs. Potentially, the price of fuel will be reduced by 5-10% due to the use of additives derived from renewable sources.
“The developed additives, alkyllevulinate, are intended for use in diesel fuel. They are based on renewable sources – biomass and biodegradable components. The additives have high energy density and can be easily used in existing infrastructure. Due to their composition they increase cetane number (analogue of octane number in petrol) and promote more complete combustion of fuel,” Ilya Efimov Ph.D. in Chemistry, Deputy Director of the RUDN University Joint Institute for Chemical Research.
Alkyllevulinate was synthesised using phosphomolybdate as an efficient catalyst for the esterification reaction of levulinic acid with three different alcohols, such as ethanol, butanol-1 and hexanol-1.
Alkillevulinates are also used in the chemical industry to produce biodegradable plastics and other materials; in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries; and in the alternative energy industry as components for the creation of environmentally friendly fuels and oils.
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2024.06.018
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Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.
Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.
Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.