QINETIQ / Department of Transport Research into Bio-Ethanol

[Tracey Tilley]

Some reading for all of us worried about Biofuels.
Mentioned by Tom Gaynor in the Amal Carbs Thread.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/research/assessingfuelsystemcompatability/

 

[Tom Gaynor]

The Grauniad last week reported a petrol shortage in Germany: they've introduced E10 (10% ethanol) fuel and no one will buy it, so they've run out of "normal" E5. The article suggests that 7% of German cars won't run on E10. Their government is insistent that this will save the planet, presumably as an alternative to admitting that it's a means of subsidizing agribusiness while dressing it up in green.
Does that sound familiar? It should, because "dressing it up in green" was what was done with "lead-free".
The level of lead in the atmosphere has been dropping at exactly the same rate since about 1930, and the introduction of lead-free has made absolutely NO difference. (The DfT graphs showing a drop all started from its introduction. The slope however was the same as it always had been. Technically it's called a "gee-whiz" graph.)
It was done because to meet Californian emission standards, it was cheaper (for the motor industry) to fit catalytic converters than to design efficient, clean engines. Otherwise Hondas, which already met the standards (ironically the clean engines all had two C's in the model name: Accent, Civic, Accord etc), would have a monopoly in a very important market. But. Catalytic converters need lead-free if they are not to need renewal every 1000 miles. Go figure.

 

[John Cone]

As clear as mud!

 

[Alan J]

If it gets any worse in the Middle East we'll all be walking , anyway!!

 

[john998]

Hello,
I agree with Tom, this is government selling us another pup, and worse driving up the cost of food in poor countries to produce the ethanol.

Regards John.

 

[Tom Gaynor]

The energy cost of ethanol is £2.64 a gallon. The energy cost of petrol is £0.64/gallon. If that isn't clear (and the government has no interest in enlightening the proles), it means that to get a gallon of petrol into a can costs £0.64, and the cost of getting a gallon of ethanol into a can, once the cost of tractor fuel and fertilisers is added in, is £2.64.
Simply: lead free petrol has NO health benefits, it was, and is, a scam. "Bio-fuel" uses more energy, and costs more, than real petrol does. And that's before we considers John's point that growing crops to turn, inefficiently, food into fuel, starves people who actually need the food.
Running vehicles on vodka? What kind of sense does THAT make?
Incidentally, the EU directive suggests that ethanol be used up to a maximum of 10%. The decision to use the whole 10% is made locally. That would be Whitehall, then...

Hello,
I agree with Tom, this is government selling us another pup, and worse driving up the cost of food in poor countries to produce the ethanol.

Regards John.

 

[vibrac]

I see cork is a no no material
can anyone tell me the difference twixt Ethanol and Methanol?

 

[bmetcalf]

One is much better to drink.

 

[Alan J]

One is much better to drink.

But which one, Bruce?

 

[BigEd]

Ethanol is the one that you would expect to find in beer and alcoholic drinks as the result of fermentation using yeast and sugars.

Methanol sends you blind, mad and dead.

Methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) is on sale in little bottles. I think it contains some methanol and it usually has a purple dye and an additive like pyridine to make it smell/taste bad. I use it to wipe down brake shoes to remove any traces of grease. I don't drink preferring Macallan malt.

But which one, Bruce?