An Article From Oil and Gas Journal - EPA approval of E15 may be mistake

[submarinesailor]

Heree is an article from OGJ about the problems with E15.  I'm very glad to see that industry is turning to press back against the mandated E15.

Bruce

http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/2224947614/articles/oil-gas-journal/processing-2/20100/july-2011/epa-approval_of_e15.html?cmpid=EnlDailyJuly82011

[mad murdock]

I just heard about the car manufacturers pushing back on this issue, about DanG time IMO!  The whole deal was basket of rotten apples from the get go, I hope that we can see some real retraction of government meddling in energy, (not likely), but one can hope. :

[scsmith42]

I'm going to push back a little on this one.

Brazil has been using E15 or higher blends of ethanol since 1982, w/o the disastrous effects forcasted in that attached paper.  Additionally, some of the statements in the article don't pass my "BS Meter", namely: 

"Potential adverse engine impacts from a 15% ethanol blend include increased engine heat;... and unintended clutch engagement, which would raise safety concerns for chain saws, hedge trimmers, and other blade products, according to Ranajit Sanhu, an independent technical consultant who testified on behalf of the Outer Power Equipment Institute."

Excuse me?  Since ethanol burns at a lower temp than gasoline, why will that result in increased engine heat?  And why would ethanol blended into fuel result in "unintended clutch engagement"?

Seems to me that the API has a vested interest in selling more petroleum based fuel, and less substitutes...

[John Mc]

Brazil uses E85, don't they? (Basically, ethanol with enough gas mixed in so no one tries to drink it.) That actually has less problems than E10 or E15.

[Ianab]

I think that Brazil has cars designed from the beginning to run on Ethanol blends. There is no problem with doing this.

The problems come when you use the blend in a car that's not designed for it. Corrosion and decay of rubber parts in the fuel system etc.

Ian

[John Mc]

The problem with lower concentration ethanol blends (E10 or E15 for example) is phase separation. I've heard that the fuel stabilizers do not eliminate this problem (but they can help counter the corrosive nature of the separated ethanol/water mix). Blends like E85 reportedly don't have this problem.