8 Wacky Fuel Alternatives that are Actually Real

While you may be familiar with several fuel alternatives such as natural gas, biodiesel, and electricity, there are many other types of alternative fuels that are very odd. Individuals have altered cars and vehicles to run on the oddest things. Many of these alternative fuel sources you might never thought of as being used to power a car. However in the future who knows what we will be using as fuel.

1. Coffee: It is possible to fuel your car with coffee. You will have to completely alter the engine, but this is a new use for caffeine. It is actually recycling as you can use all the remnant grounds from your coffee cups. The process that changes this coffee into a fuel that can be burned is gasification.
2. Alcohol: Ethanol has been used in fuels for many years and most gasoline will contain a percentage of ethanol. However you can use any leftover alcohol to run your car. Many counties that are dry, or where booze is banned, have been doing this for a long time.
3. Sewage: It is possible to take human and animal waste, and digest it with bacteria to produce methane gas. This methane gas is then used to power the car. The technology for burning this fuel in a car is already in place, known as pressurized natural gas. With so many cows in the world, they produce plenty of fuel for vehicles.
4. Helium - 3: This type of fuel is great as it does not release any water or air pollutants and no radiation whatsoever. However, the main issue with this type of fuel is the fact that it is very difficult to mine. Scientists have discovered large pockets of the gas, but it is found on the moon’s surface. There is still some space travel and technology to work out first.
5. Old Tires: It has been found you can create diesel fuel from old tires. By fiddling with different microwave frequencies when the tire is in a vacuum you can produce this fuel.
6. Garbage: In Germany, a system was used to convert garbage to fuel your car. The garbage which would include plastics, paper and gardening waste can be turned into biodiesel. While this proved to be quite a stir, we have yet to see this process and device used widely.
7. Wood and Sawdust: A lot of sawdust is produced from mills, and instead of being thrown away it can be burned. If this is left around then it can release greenhouse gases. A better alternative is to burn it as fuel and generate power. The heat from burning can be used for electricity and to run your engine.
8. Dirty Diapers: You can use dirty diapers to produce gas and oil as fuel. This process is called pyrolysis. The diapers are burned in an environment that is oxygen free and in a sealed area. This causes the molecules to break down in a different way. The byproducts can then be used as fuel. Diapers were chosen because there are a lot of disposable diapers, and the diapers area already collected in special recycling bins. In order for this pyrolysis to work, you need a consistent material and regular garbage is too variable.