Does ethanol have to be used mixed?

Question

Does ethanol have to be used mixed?

Answer 1

Answer number one is the correct one. I can't add anymore to that.

Answer 2

It does not HAVE to, but it is safer. Straight ethanol is used in Dragsters because it  burns REALLY FAST. It burns faster then gasoline and have them mixed makes it a safer more efficient fuel. Normal cars run 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline right now but many companies make "FlexFuel" vehicles which run E85 which (as previously stated) is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

Answer 3

No, but if you try to use ethanol direct (it IS possible) you have a problem with the law.  Consider the BATF, "Bureau of ALCOHOL Tobacco and Firearms".  By alcohol they specifically mean ethanol.

Yes that's right, ethanol is liquor.   It's the active ingredient in beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, moonshine.  100% ethanol would be drinkable and therefore taxed like liquor -- at an extremely high rate.  The only way to avoid the taxes is to denature it with something so it's not drinkable.  15% gasoline does the job well.

Answer 4

not nescessarily....if you're a fan of racing you'll notice that Indy Cars burn E100 or straight alcohol. Sprint cars run M100 or straight Methanol...basically alcohol. Many dragsters run alcohol in IHRA. You'll most likely never see a production car burn E100 simply because a) you can't buy E100, b) if there is a fire the alcohol burns so cleanly that you can't see the flame and that's dangerous.

You can easily convert an engine to burn E100...especially if it's a Chevy V8 since there are more parts available...you'll have a heck of a time converting anything new to E100 though.

Answer 5

no, ethanol does not have to be mixed with gasoline to be used in an internal combustion engine. you do have to make a few modifications to use it though in a gas engine. you first have to eliminate any plastic in the fuel system that is not alcohol proof. you need fuel lines that are alcohol proof. if you are using electronic fuel injection you need larger injectors, and you need to reflash the computer to handle the different fuel curve, and you need to change the O2 sensors with ones that can read alcohol emissions, instead of gasoline emissions.

if you have a carbueretted engine you need to enlarge the jets to allow for more fuel flow, you need to change the floats to an alcohol proof version, and you need to change the needle and seat to a steel tipped version since the viton needle will be ruined with alcohol.

as for the alcohol itself, it needs to be at least 160 proof, higher is better though, in order to make a good motor fuel. also remember that alcohol is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water, and thus the fuel system needs to be sealed especially if you live in a high humidity area.

Answer 6

yes in regular engines. Straight ethanol is used in the racing industry, but don't try to put that in your tank or you will ruin it.

The E85 is an 85% mixture of ethanol and gasoline and it will run fine in a slightly modified car. (ex new hoses and clamps)

Answer 7

We must not put ethanol alone in our fuel tanks, people will drink it. That is not the main problem.

The problem of concern is that  people will forget and mix gasoline with the ethanol, and people will also drink that.

This problem is not fixed by marking the vehicles that have received gasoline.