In my high school chemistry class I am studying the affect of surface area over the rate of reaction. In this case, using Collision Theory to describe how a high surface area to volume ratio contributes to a greater chance of particles colliding, which leads to more successful collisions per second; given reactants are at room temperature and other variables constant.
Since flour grains (in fine powdered form) is highly flammable through combustion with oxygen and may even explode when particles that are suspended in the air are ignited, could it offer a more energy efficient method of converting from chemical to kinetic energy through a combustion engine? I was thinking that due to flour's high air to fuel character and that it's
35 times more combustible than coal dust.
Would it be possible for the expanding combustion gas to push the piston, which in turn rotates the crankshaft and drives the engine?
I am aware that the mechanical components behind this 'flour driven engine' may not be similar to the traditional combustion engine. However, would the mechanics behind this design be realistic or probable in the future, if so, how might it look like? For example in the form of an air cylinder?