Abstract This study explores municipal waste-derived synthesis gas as a sustainable alternative fuel for internal combustion engines. Syngas properties, including lower heating value and combustion behavior, were linked to the feedstock characteristics and production method. Experimental investigations conducted on a turbocharged Lombardini LGW 702 spark-ignition engine showed that syngas mixtures with higher lower heating values (approximately 11–12 MJ/kg) achieved torque and mean effective pressure values close to those obtained with natural gas. In contrast, low-calorific syngases (approximately 8–9 MJ/kg) resulted in a torque reduction of about 6–15% and a significant increase in specific fuel consumption. The calculated specific energy of the stoichiometric fuel–air mixture ranged from approximately 2.3 to 2.8 MJ/kg under full-load conditions. The results confirm the technical feasibility of municipal waste-derived syngas for engine applications and its potential contribution to greenhouse gas reduction and the development of renewable energy systems.
Luknár et al. (Wed,) studied this question.