ethanol

Everybody is talking ethanol
Where is the info on methanol

Corn alcohol i understand
But isn't methanol wood alcohol
Is this the one that is more harmful
The one that gums things up
I know it's posionous

For those who think Crude oil is not used in plastics, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals and many more products, think again.

Here is some very good links to videos which give an over view of Petroleum products..

Extracting crude
HERE

Gas from crude
HERE

Crude distillation
HERE

Crude oil fractions
HERE

Fractional distillation of crude
HERE

Basic introduction to Petrochemicals (this one is cool because it was a High School Student project video)
HERE

Non video link to some of the products that come from Crude oil
HERE

I was originally looking for a a show called Modern Marvels and the subject was Oil Education..

It does not seem to be online for free although I did find a link to it which does have a listing of each segment..

HERE

This video I would highly recommend watching if you can find it on a Cable channel.. It really has great detail on many products that originate from the hydro carbon fractions that only come from Crude oil..

As far as corn Ethanol being the savior of the world goes.. Well it only creates TWO products, Ethanol and waste which is used to feed livestock..

Personally, Corn Ethanol is a waste of land, corn and energy..

BTW I never claimed to know, or care, about if ethanol is the most efficient way to oxygenate fuel or reduce pre ignition. So I’m not pro or anti corn fuel, except in certain applications.

Lynnmor wrote:

Grit dog wrote:


Of course, it stands to reason that someone from Iowa is pimping corn growing, considering his or those around him make their livelihood from growing corn.
I don't mean this in a negative way either. I'm all for infrastructure improvements. Pass another tax bill to fund highways and bridges. I don't care. I'll pay and be happy about it.
Why? Because I make my money building roads and bridges. I'll tell you every 2 lane fneeds to be a 4 lane because I want to build it or at least have my competition busy so I can build the next road and make good money on it so I get a raise and a good bonus.

It's not rocket science folks and I wouldn't argue about it. Everyone has their own personal or professional agenda even if they profess not to or think they are unbiased.
Why? Because it's human nature to try to succeed or excel personally and professionally.
And for those that that is not a goal, well come along for the ride. The rest of the world needs you as well.

I guess morals is really out of style. :(

So is basic comprehension apparently.
On a quick aside, our infrastructure is in shambles, so build baby build. Not sure what my morality has to do with it.
But if one doesn’t have the drive to succeed in life, well, all I can say is “Would you like fries with that?”

DiskDoctr wrote:
Although some claim those who have repeatedly had problems with ethanol polluted gasoline are somehow either stupid or lying about their experiences, I can absolutely assure you I deal with these problems regularly with gasoline over 6 months old.

Fact. Repeatable. Solid.

Some of us are old enough to remember having the identical problems with the Pre-alcohol "pure" gasoline. That stuff would rot, then turn to varnish, plugging the jets and passages in carburetors to the point that it would take an over-night soak in carb cleaner to get them clean enough to run. That "rotten gas" stink is something I haven't smelled since alcohol blends became available, and I don't miss it!
My Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) gas cans sit for 3 to 6 months all year long, with Sta-Bil in the fuel. No problems. As previously stated, I have a can of 2 stroke fuel mixed and ready to use, that is at least 2 years old. No problem.

Interesting reading
JESTECH Volume 18, Issue 4, December 2015, Pages 713-719
Investigations on the effects of ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends in a spark-ignition engine: Performance and emissions analysis

There are some on this forum that still don't get it. :R I will try to explain this one more time:

Ethanol is an oxygenating agent. That is why they put it in gasoline. It is put in there to bring up the O2 level to help with smog at the engine level. It also has 2 more side benefits:

#1. It brings up the octane of the fuel. Ethanol has a RON of around 113 octane! So it's a cheap way to bringing up the octane of gasoline.

#2. Anytime a fuel has more "liquid O2" in it; it will make MORE POWER, not less!!! One more time; E anything will make MORE POWER than straight gasoline.

Engine making MORE power on fuel with O2 in it. Pretty cool hu?

See how that works now? Simple hu? Understand?



Now, all that being said, there are many bad things about E fuels. One of the biggest is mileage. Anytime you brings the BTU's of a fuel down your mileage will also go down. Ethanol has less BTU's so your mileage WILL be less.

I heard people on this forum say that they get 10, 15 or even 20%+ less mileage from E10. If it is truly E10, this is impossible. Even if your E10 gasoline has 0 BTU's, (impossible by the way) the MOST loss you will get is 10%. The loss you will see in the field with E10 is around 3 to 4% which is right where the math says it should be.

Now, I have to go out and prep my car to go racing this weekend. Anybody have any guess if I'm going to burn pure gasoline or am I burn E10 in it? :B

babock wrote:
Gotta love an ethanol thread to get everyone's panties in a bunch.

My panties are still loose after reading this entire thread, but it has given me a bad case of gas........or maybe it was all the Xmas cheese and pepperoni pie?

Gotta love an ethanol thread to get everyone's panties in a bunch. It's a bigger problem for boaters since more likely to get phase separation although I have never seen it. The difference in BTU is only 3.3% so if someone says they can tell the difference in power, it's probably a placebo effect.

i think, the (2) big contributing factors
age of the fuel
humidity in the area

fuel that been gathering moisture for 6 months
can not be the same a fresh fuel at the gas station

you got a farm or a ranch, you need some fuel storage
IDK the answer to your problem