Nitrogen As An Alternative Fuel
In its natural form it can be difficult to use nitrogen as an alternative fuel. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, nitrogen is an inert organic element. So it when it reacts with a metal or with an oxidizer, very little energy is produced. Secondly, the exhaust released from nitrogen would mainly be nitrogen dioxide; this is highly poisonous in nature and can cause serious health issues in humans. |
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Liquid state is the only form in which nitrogen can be used as a fuel to run vehicles. Liquefied nitrogen is being used as a fuel to run cars. It is considered a non-pollutant. The logic is simple; the earth’s atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen. When we breathe in, our nitrogen intake is more than oxygen. A car running on liquid nitrogen will release nitrogen as exhaust, which is harmless. Hence zero per cent emission. But this model of car that uses liquid nitrogen is still under construction.
However, converting nitrogen into usable form of liquid nitrogen requires a lot of electricity. And as of now, the only way of producing electricity is by burning crude oil and its products. With natural resources on the edge of depletion, it is like robbing Peter to pay Paul! Also liquid nitrogen is highly combustible. So carrying it in the tank is a dangerous proposition.
Keeping these things in mind, nitrogen is not being aggressively studied to replace fossil fuels. But Liquid Nitrogen Economy is a proposal that has been put forward. According to this, liquefied nitrogen will be used to store and transport energy. The feasibility of this is being questioned. Nitrogen is colorless and odorless; so its leak remains undetected. This leak can result in death caused by non-availability of oxygen in the presence of nitrogen. This theoretical idea is also under consideration due to the low energy density that liquid nitrogen has.
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In lay man’s terms, alternative fuels are fuels other than crude oil and its products. Since the oil prices are going up everyday, search is on to look for alternative fuels that are not as costly and can be used to run vehicles. These fuels need to be available in plenty in nature. This will ensure that they are not high priced. But along with that, their effectiveness to run vehicles should be good. Otherwise, they don’t hold much value for the world 
