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Ethanol is safe to use in most vehicles. E10 ethanol is safe to use in nearly every automobile. E85 ethanol can only be used in flexible fuel vehicles. The author of the article below discusses how using ethanol in a vehicle can improve its performance.
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Is Ethanol Safe To Use in My Vehicle?
Dorrie Ruplinger
The short and simple answer to the question "Is Ethanol safe to use in my vehicle?" is yes.
There are two main types of ethanol fuels on the market today; E-10 and E-85. The E-10 is 10% ethanol, and 90% gasoline. It is covered under warranty by every major automobile manufacturer in the world. Many of these manufacturers actually recommend the use of E-10 because of its high octane and superior performance characteristics. The use of E-10 is not limited to just cars and trucks. E-10 can be used for all types of engines including motorcycles and small engines like those found in lawn mowers, snowmobiles and boats.
Tests that have been conducted recently concluded that ethanol does not increase corrosion in engines. It also does not harm any seals or valves or any other parts "under the hood." In most cases, ethanol actually works to reduce build-up in your engine, thus improving the performance of your vehicle.
E-85 is made from 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline. Not all cars can use E-85 ethanol. Only flexible fuel vehicles, or FFVs, can use this type of ethanol. The E-85 type is classified as an alternative fuel by the U.S. Department of Energy. The number of flexible fuel vehicles has been steadily increasing for the past several years. Although there aren't many pumps that sell E-85 in the world, the number grows with each passing day. FFVs don't need to run on E-85 to operate, they can use any unleaded gasoline or any mixed blend of ethanol.
Beginning this year, the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series will be fueled by ethanol. Race car engines operating on ethanol have demonstrated excellent performance and have no ill-effects due to the ethanol fuels.
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What is E85
Ethanol & How is it made
Rising gasoline prices have heightened consumer awareness about E85
ethanol. These days, there is much ado about this fuel, and why
shouldn’t there be? After all, it costs close to thirty five percent
less than gasoline and is quickly becoming the preferred choice for
motorists at the pump stations. E85 ethanol is already widely used in
Sweden and pump stations in America, with states like Minnesota and
Illinois having the highest rate of E85 fuel pumps servicing motorists.
What is E 85 Ethanol?
When 15 percent of leaded gasoline is combined with eighty five percent
of ethanol, the result is the low-cost E85 ethanol fuel. Widely
available in the US, it is an alcohol-based fuel that can be produced
from employing the use of two methods. The first source of production
involves the fermenting and distilling of starch-like feedstock. They
include corn, barley, and wheat. The next method, which is referred as
bio-ethanol, involves extraction from trees and grasses.
Although the price of the Ethanol E85 may be foremost on consumer’s
minds, it also gets the nod from earth activists because it is an
environmentally friendly product. It burns clean and its key ingredient
source is renewable. Ethanol E85 also eliminates the import of crude
oil because it is locally produced and is also known for increasing the
octane rating in fuel while decreasing the harmful emissions caused by
gasoline.
Ethanol E85 will run well in flexible fuel vehicles like those
manufactured by Daimler Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Isuzu and Nissan
to name a few. But, if you don’t own a vehicle by one of the
above-mentioned manufacturers, you need not fear. Some people are not
aware that many other cars manufactured today are Ethanol E85
compatible. It is best to find out from your car dealer if you have a
flexible fuel vehicle.
How is E85 Ethanol
Made?
The method for producing Ethanol E85 is long and complex. The maker has
to first extract sugar from biological feedstock in order to begin the
process. Corn is the leading ingredient in Ethanol E85 gas. And the
starch in it can easily be converted into sugar. Sugar for this fuel can
also be extracted from cellulose, which is a sugar based ingredient
found in trees and grasses.
Once the feedstock is collected, it goes through a grinding process to
extract the sugar. Sugar fed into microbes quickly produces ethanol and
carbon dioxide, which finally endures purification stages to get the
ethanol to the right consistency.
There is another method of manufacturing Ethanol E85 oil or grain
alcohol, as it is also known, and this is through a wet-milling process.
This is also the method that large-scale manufacturers use when
producing high-fructose corn sweetener.
Ethanol E85 is an innovative and renewable resource with many positive
characteristics, making it one of the leading topics of discussion for
those looking to help the earth and looking to keep a few extra bucks in
their wallet.
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Featured Article:
Ethanol, Water, Pollution, North Korea and Free Trade
Ethanol is a great way to produce fuel, great fuel to trade and It makes sense to grow your fuel. Only a few problems; it takes water, processing makes CO2 and how much can we get for it when we export it? Ethanol Plants are popping up across America and turn corn into fuel, but corn takes water to grow and states like N ...
Author: Lance Winslow
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