Reciprocating internal combustion engines rely on a piston-cylinder configuration to achieve a batch periodic conversion from chemical energy in a fuel to mechanical energy leaving an engine. In this category of energy conversion devices are included spark-ignition (SI) engines which may operate on gaseous or liquid fuels, and compression-ignition (CI) engines which may operate on liquid or a combination of liquid and gaseous fuels. As described by Lichty, the first example of an internal combustion engine was that of Abbé Hautefueille in 1678 using the combustion of gunpowder in a cylinder to move a piston and produce work. Renewable fuels and bio-based chemicals and materials are nothing new. They have served humankind since the dawn of civilization. And that there would be changes in how we power our transportation systems is also nothing new.

Reciprocating internal combustion engines rely on a piston-cylinder configuration to achieve a batch periodic conversion from chemical energy in a fuel to mechanical energy leaving an engine. In this category of energy conversion devices are included spark-ignition (SI) engines which may operate on gaseous or liquid fuels, and compression-ignition (CI) engines which may operate on liquid or a combination of liquid and gaseous fuels. As described by Lichty, the first example of an internal combustion engine was that of Abbé Hautefueille in 1678 using the combustion of gunpowder in a cylinder to move a piston and produce work. Renewable fuels and bio-based chemicals and materials are nothing new. They have served humankind since the dawn of civilization. And that there would be changes in how we power our transportation systems is also nothing new.