Can you remove ethanol from gasoline?

[mad murdock]

I ran 100LL in my 2stroke Polaris 250 trailblazer 4 wheeler when I was in Alaska, as the fuel we drained out of aircraft was not put back in since we had no filtration method after draining fuel to replace a fuel cell bladder for ex. We had a 55 gal drum or 2 wrong be the show for that always, which was available for such uses. The thing I learned about burning it in small engines is they in extreme cold, the engines were hard to start on straight 100LL. Extremely so, had to switch to mogas when temps dipped below 0. 100LL would not atomize sufficiently for the engine to light off unless you had a way to preheat the engine first.

[pineywoods]

I wonder if it would be feasable to use a centrifuge to separate out the alcohol ? Not that I want to try it, got too many other projects...

[AnthonyW]

I wonder if it would be feasable to use a centrifuge to separate out the alcohol ? Not that I want to try it, got too many other projects...

I haven't contacted a chemist on this yet so don't quote me. If the scuttlebut is correct that if you add water to the ethanol gas and let it sit, the ethanol will be in the water on the bottom. IF that is true, I have seen a water filtering funnel. There appears to be an inverted screen in the center of the funnel. After you pour the gas through, the space between the screen and the funnel is filled with the water from the gas. If both halves of that tale is true, then removing the ethanol should be a piece of cake. Just add 10-20% water, shake, and pour.

[AnthonyW]

No matter how many times folks post that handy purgas site for me to peruse ( and I do every time) the places listed in them do not get any closer than over an hour away.   

What I should do though is pester my local filling station.  They do off road diesel and cater to the construction/logging crowd so I might have some leverage there.  The problem every local pro logger I have spoken to about ethanol use their saws every day and don't have the same issues as those of us that put a saw on a shelf for a bit.

The last time I looked there weren't any close to me. But I have not had any problems with the ethanol in the gas (which I don't understand but that's another story). I own engines and carbs that span more than 35 years. From a '64 gravely to a '12 Honda Power washer. I however do several things, mostly to prevent gum and varnish in the carbs, but I think the practice has carried over to prevent water problems.

1) In small tank engines (chainsaw, weed wackers), I empty the tank and run it dry. I do not leave the fuel in the tank or carb.
2) When storing for the season, I empty the tank (siphon), then run the carb dry. I then refill with fresh gas with (red) stabil then start and allow to run for a minute or two.
3) I store gas in metal cans (not the plastic ones) and keep it where the daily temperature swings are minimal (ie., not under the porch and not in the shed). Why metal? Because plastic is actually porous and water/water vapor can pass through. The tank on my LT25 lube tank is a perfect example. When I first received the mill, I had to replace the lines on the lube tank. They had hardened. I assume they were vinyl lines and the previous owner had been run diesel (the urethane bands were hard as well). After the lines were replaced, I closed the valves as I didn't want anything to crawl in the tank or plug the hose. The next time I used, I notice something moving in the lube tank. The tank had been closed for nearly 6 months. I found nearly 1" of water in the tank. Wanting to check to see if the tank had a hole or leak, I removed the hose and the tank but left the valve closed. No leak. So where did the water come from? It is not a gas tank, so no ethanol. The water that was in the tank would not come out even when squeezed, so no leak. The water entered the tank because plastic is porous and not 100% water tight. Just as concrete will allow moisture through, plastic will as well.

[John Mc]

No matter how many times folks post that handy purgas site for me to peruse ( and I do every time) the places listed in them do not get any closer than over an hour away.   

You're probably not near any marinas either, are you? They sometimes stock E0 gas, since it can be a real problem for powerboats. Of course, that may not help you in the winter, when marinas are closed.

John