There is more misinformation out there on every type of fuel and fuel additive
than there is real information. Ethanol is a good case in point.
I was a hazardous waste inspector in the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental
Resources when oxygenated fuels were introduced. While I did not work in the
air quality program, I worked with them (and the water quality people in
charge of related tank regs.) throughout the period when they were adopting
these regs.
Ethanol was NOT added to gasoline to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. Oxygenated
gasoline was intended to reduce carbon monoxide emissions, and it has proved a
solid success at that. Here in Cincinnati we were recently able to shut down
our emissions inspection program by adopting these oxy-fuels, such is the
success of these fuels in reducing CO emissions despite the adjustments made
by modern oxygen sensors. The engineers and scientists that evaluate these
regulations and their impacts are not fools, and anything that isn't having
the desired effect would be dumped like a hot rock.
MTBE was permitted originally (over the objections of numerous EPA engineers)
due to lobbying by the producers (chiefly Haliburton related companies), and
the regs were and are written in terms of oxygen content not specific
additives. Ethanol is simply the fall-back chemical that still meets the
regulation.
The reduction in foreign oil dependence and global warming emissions (new CO2
contributions to the atmosphere) from ethanol use is just extra gravy.
In terms of older cars running on E10 (10% ethanol), Iowa has had almost 100%
E10 fuels since for more than 30 years. Back in college I ran a 1960 Falcon
over 35,000 miles on the stuff with no problems, and despite my former
professional involvement have never heard of any increased fuel system
problems associated with ethanol, accepting the previously mentioned problems
due to water pockets in old fuel systems. Many of the supposed sins of
ethanol that one hears about are actually the real problems with methanol fuel
additives.
For more information, see the US-DOE's ethanol blend web-page at:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/blends/ethanol.html .
--Dave Waldorf
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