Don't alternative fueled vehicles, burning methanol & ethanol, produce significant quantities of Formic Acid?

Question

Don't alternative fueled vehicles, burning methanol & ethanol, produce significant quantities of Formic Acid?

Answer 1

yes but not carbon

Answer 2

:-(

Answer 3

Methanol produces formic acid.

Ethanol will if it is contaminated with water (<99% pure)before mixing with gasoline.

Pnas (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) rates ethanol 12% less greenhouse gas producing than equivilent gasoline. I understand the acid rain side of things is about on par.

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P.s. Had better supply link for the doubter (down thumb)

http://www.ausetute.com.au/acidrain.html

Better clarify

Ethanol usually produces carbonic acid it will produce formic acid if contaminated be fore it is mixed.

Methanol produces formic acid.

Formic acid is absorbed by water (Hence acid rain.)

BOTH these fuels are better for the environment than petrolium. (even better if you consider the carbon released was not locked away millions of years ago.)

Not using any fuel is better still.

Answer 4

This is the kind of c**p I hate to see. It's a blatant attempt to media spin.

Formic Acid is miscible in water, it's not a hazard. Bee stings have fomic acid in them, and some ant bites.

Formic acid is intentionally produced because there's a market for it that's not met naturally. It's the weakest form of carbolic acid.

There's a lot of negative things about the use of ethanol and methanol without making things up.