5 Myths on Ethanol

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Written by Sabrina Deparine

Monday, 22 June 2009 09:46

Page views: 3984

Following on our article on “E10 Works on Carbureted Engines”, BiofuelsHub brings you another set of common ethanol myths and facts.

5 Myths on Ethanol

Myth # 1: Running on E10 gasoline can make vehicle engines hotter.
Fact: Contrary to this myth, running your car on E10 gasoline can help in keeping your car engine cooler. The ethanol content in the gasoline allows it to combust even at lower temperatures. As such, the car engine does not need to heat up that much in order to burn its gasoline. This is one of the reasons why most of the race car drivers prefer running their cars on pure ethanol or alcohol fuel. The highly-pressured racing engines are able to keep cool in spite of the tremendous exertion of engine power on the race track. In fact, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway recommends the use of ethanol gasoline on their IndyCar Series. This is because the high octane rating of ethanol fuel allows stronger engine performance. It also helps engines resist detonation which, in turn, allows the engine to perform well even with high compression ratios.

Myth # 2: E10 is detrimental to the fuel injectors.
Fact: We have already explained to you why E10 can be used on older vehicles and those with carbureted engines. So if it works on cars with carbureted engines, then E10 should be safer on fuel-injected engines. Ethanol and ethanol-blended gasoline do not contribute to the burning or deterioration of port fuel injectors. Car drivers and owners should, in fact, be more careful with regular gasoline. This is because regular gasoline contains olefins which can contribute to the formation of residues and deposits on the fuel injectors. In the case of ethanol, it burns completely so it leaves no residue or deposit on the fuel injectors. E10 gasoline also has additives that can keep the fuel injectors cleaner, contributing to better engine performance. It does not also contribute to the corrosion and deterioration of valves and seals in the vehicle.

Myth # 3: Ethanol reduces gas mileage significantly.
Fact: In a study conducted by the American Coalition for Ethanol, it was shown that as the ethanol blend in the gasoline increases, the reduction in gas mileage also increases. However, the decrease in gas mileage is very minimal. In fact, for E10, the reduction in gas mileage is only at 2.2%.

Myth # 4: E10 cannot be used in older cars.
Fact: This is a common issue oftentimes raised against ethanol-blended gasoline. As stated in Myth #2, E10 can run on older vehicle models.

If you are still not satisfied with this explanation, let us consider the evolution of gasoline through the years. Most of the older cars were probably designed to run on leaded gasoline. Lead is added to gasoline because it provides the necessary octane to ensure good engine performance. However, when lead was phased out, oil companies had to produce unleaded gasoline. But what about the octane? To keep the octane levels of the gasoline at par, oil companies had to add certain additives. The same is true for the case of E10. E10 is better because the ethanol content can raise the octane rating by three points. Also, the additive is all-natural and as such, can work well even on older engines.

According to Thomas Jeffries, a microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory, E10 imparts some benefits when used on older cars. This is because the ethanol content in E10 can dissolve the dirt accumulated in the gas tank.

Myth # 5: E10 cannot be used in smaller engines.
Fact: According to Jaal Ghandhi, a mechanical engineering professor at UW-Madison, E10 can be used in small engines. It is safe to use in small engine applications like those of lawn mowers and boats.

Also, we have previously mentioned in one of our past articles that E10 can also be used in motorcycles with 4T engines. In fact, in our coordination with Kawasaki Philippines, Mr. Julius Argana from the Engineering Department said that all of their motorcycle models are compatible with E10 gasoline.