What are biofuels?

MAFLOW, the Cantabrian manufacturer of automotive air conditioning systems and official distributor of Borygo vehicle fluids, brings you this report on these new fuels.

Biofuels are a mixture of different organic substances that, when properly treated, can be used as fuel for combustion engines. This type of fuel is more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based fuels because, in theory, the basic plants used to obtain them absorb a certain amount of _CO2 during their growth, while atmospheric emissions are similar to those of fossil fuels.

Of course, not everything is as straightforward as that, and a conventional engine needs to be adapted to run on 100% biofuels , or even at lower concentrations, such as 85% E85. However, the vast majority of modern engines, that is, those manufactured recently, can run without too much trouble on bioethanol concentrations up to 10%.

Myths and legends about E85 bioethanol

As always happens when a new technology is introduced, or in this case, a different fuel, all sorts of doubts arise around it. With sufficient dissemination and distortion—whether deliberately or casually—they give rise to myths and legends . These myths and legends only serve to harm drivers interested in learning more about alternative and, in theory, more environmentally friendly fuels, because they generate more doubts.

Let's look at the most common ones:

1. E85 is corrosive, and it's going to ruin my car's tank : this is a myth, somewhat false. Ethanol is corrosive, and so is gasoline , but that doesn't ruin a car's tank. What ruins it is water, and water corrosion causes rust. This is true for very old cars, because modern ones are completely protected from the harmful effects of water.
2. My engine will be damaged if I use bioethanol, unless I have a FlexiFuel car . This is only half true. If we use bioethanol daily over a long period of time, we can damage the engine. It's better to have an adapted engine and use bioethanol than to have it unadapted and use it. If we make a mistake, we'll notice some side effects that will give us away immediately. Simply skip refueling, or empty the tank and refill with the correct fuel.
3. Ethanol is going to burn up my engine . This is false because it misunderstands the concept of octane. Ethanol has about 115 octane, and E85 bioethanol has about 105 octane. It burns at a lower temperature than regular gasoline, and therefore contributes to less "carbon buildup" in the fuel lines and helps keep the engine clean for longer.
4. E85 pollutes more than gasoline . This is an unproven claim. That is, it's said to pollute more, but there's no conclusive evidence for that claim. It's more speculation, or an unfounded opinion, than scientific evidence.
5. With E85 bioethanol, you lose engine power . This is false. Ethanol releases less energy per unit of volume than gasoline, that's true, but since its combustion point is lower than gasoline's, the engine runs at full capacity at a lower temperature, so overall, it has more power.

Biofuels are here to stay . It's true that there is some controversy over their effect on rising food costs, but the truth is that they make a decisive contribution to reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

 

Source: Ricard Soler