Rudolf Gunnerman
Rudolf Gunnerman of Reno, Nevada has invented a safe, inexpensive, environment-friendly fuel that could revolutionize transportation and counteract the world's most prevalent source of pollution – the 3 billion gallons of petroleum burned every day worldwide.
Gunnerman came to the U.S. from Germany in 1949, with 21 years behind him and only $20 in his pocket. After much time and effort, his engineering skills and innovations, including a patented process for burning wood pellets (1976), made him a great success.
In 1987, Gunnerman began to apply his talent and his fortune to water-based fuels. Though it is proverbial that oil and water don't mix, Gunnerman invented a special emulsifier additive that overcomes that problem. He has created workable mixtures of alcohol and water, gasoline and water, diesel fuel and water, and water and naphtha, an even cleaner-burning petroleum derivative. These were known collectively as A-55® Clean Fuels.
In an experiment done by the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), researchers found that using Gunnerman's fuels decreased NO emissions in the oil and water mixture by 15 to 34 percent and by 33 to 51 percent in the naphtha and water mixture. However, the efficiency of these fuels tended to decrease, dropping 2.5 percent in the oil and water mixture and by 3.4 percent in the naphtha and water mixture. A-55® Clean Fuels eventually succumbed to criticism, and Gunnerman resolved to find better ways to improve safety and efficiency in fuel.
Rudolph and his son, Peter, founded Advanced Refining Concepts, LLC. in Reno, Nevada to try to further improve the safety and efficiency of diesel fuel. Their most recent breakthrough is GDiesel, a mixture of conventional diesel and natural gas. This new diesel has shown to be much cleaner and to improve performance efficiency by at least 10 percent (in miles per gallon). GDiesel is comprised of about half of the sulfur as in Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, making it an extremely clean fuel option. The EPA has approved GDiesel as an on-road fuel, and the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection has granted it alternative-fuel status.
In recent tests, consumers have reported increased mileage from 1.2 to 4 mpg (in school buses), to 18 to 22 mpg, and the U.S. Special Operations Command recorded that their trucks running on GDiesel consumed half as much fuel as their trucks that used regular diesel fuel.
GDiesel has been gaining popularity and is the only fuel used in Clark County and Henderson, Nevada. It also appears at truck stops and airports.
Gunnerman holds over seven U.S. patents and many more from other countries. He has active or pending licensing agreements in Australia, Korea, Mexico, and elsewhere. Rudolf Gunnerman continues to move toward his goal of making his revolutionary fuels available to the world.
