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Every morning, we see people rushing about, walking in a hurry to catch a ride whether to work or school or anywhere else. The same is true for those with their own vehicles. This is a usual scenario in the Philippines, with heavy traffic everywhere, both commuters and vehicle owners scamper around every morning in order to avoid it.
As I sat by an open window in an ordinary bus one morning, I could not help but notice that there is indeed a huge number of vehicles traversing the Philippine roads daily. Mind you, I said sitting by an “open ordinary bus window” which means that as the bus goes along the highway, I can also “experience” the effect of the car emissions on my lungs, my hair, etc. This brings my thoughts to E10 fuel.
 If you’re a regular commuter or a vehicle owner, you have probably seen and heard of the E10 fuel. Currently, E10 fuel is being sold in almost all gasoline stations across the archipelago. Just look at the gasoline stations along the way and you will see Shell offering the E10 Unleaded or Petron’s E10 Premium.
The main reason why E10 fuel is being sold commercially is to comply with the provisions in the Biofuels Act of 2006. This law mandates the use of ethanol-blend gasoline to reduce emissions and harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, to reduce the country’s dependence on imported oil, and to enhance rural income and employment. The Biofuels Act of 2006 has been implemented last May 6, 2007. According to it, in the first few years after implementation, a 5% ethanol-blended gasoline and 1% biodiesel should be available in the market. Fast forward to 2009, oil companies in the Philippines have started to offer the E10 to the market. What exactly is E10? What is it made of? Where does it come from? Is it safe for our vehicles?
E10 gasoline is an ethanol-blended gasoline consisting of 10% fuel-grade ethanol and 90% regular gasoline. By the nomenclature “E10”, E stands for ethanol while the numerical coefficient, “10”, stands for the volume or percentage of ethanol added to regular gasoline. In this case, there is a 10% ethanol additive to the regular gasoline.
E10 is made from ethyl alcohol or ethanol, a type of alcohol produced from sugarcane or other food crops like corn. It is actually very easy to manufacture. It can also be blended with gasoline in varying quantities. At the moment, almost all countries around the globe are mandating the use of ethanol-blended gasoline because of its numerous benefits and advantages.
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