Experimental evaluation of performance of heavy-duty SI pure methanol engine with EGR

•Methanol served as an alternative fuel for heavy-duty spark-ignition engines.•The peak brake thermal efficiency of the methanol engine was ∼ 41.39%.•The methanol engine had higher thermal efficiency than the natural-gas engine.•The methanol engine had lower CO and NOx emissions than the natural-gas engine.•The methanol engine had higher HC emissions than the natural-gas engine.