Bio Ethanol is the primary fuel used as a petroleum alternative for road transport vehicles.

Bio Ethanol is a high-octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol.

Bio Ethanol fuel blends are widely sold in Brazil and the United States and are becoming more widely available here in the United Kingdom. However, only flexible fuel vehicles or vehicles with one of our converters can run on 85% Bio Ethanol and 15% petrol blends (E85) which is the most common blend (104-109 RON), this also makes it very receptive to being used as a motorsport or high performance fuel.

By blending Bio Ethanol with petrol it increases the oxygen levels in the fuel mixture so it combusts more completely and efficiently significantly reducing any polluting emissions as well as increasing the engines power output. Bio Ethanol also known as ethyl alcohol, is a clear colourless liquid which is biodegradable and low in toxicity, if spilt it will cause little environmental damage. When Bio Ethanol is burnt it produces carbon dioxide and water.

What is its History?

The use of Ethanol in engines is not a new idea. In 1916 Ford Motor Company’s founder Henry Ford said: “All the world is waiting for a substitute for petrol. The day is not far distant when, for every one of those barrels of petrol, a barrel of ethanol must be substituted.” He went on to design the first Model T to run on ethanol, or grain alcohol as well as petrol, believing then that oil-based transport fuels did not have a long-term future. The difference in cost between Ethanol and petroleum meant that the oil based fuels were a more attractive and cost effective option. Ethanol has also been used for fuel at other points in history; however fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world.

In today’s economy, increasing energy costs and environmental issues have led to increased interest in ethanol being used as a petroleum substitute. Increasing attention on today’s environmental issues has highlighted the green benefits of using Bio Ethanol as a renewable fuel substitute for road transport vehicles.

How is it produced?

Bio Ethanol fuel is mainly produced by the sugar fermentation process, although it can also be manufactured by the chemical process of reacting ethylene with steam.

The main sources of sugar required to produce ethanol come energy crops. These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include sugar cane and beet, corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce Bio Ethanol fuel.