ALEXANDRIA, Va., February 6,
2012 -- With its ability to attract moisture and clog fuel filters, it's no
wonder America's boaters have not been thrilled with ethanol
in gasoline, which today is most commonly found as a 10% blend and known as E10
at the gas pump. America's desire for renewable fuels is growing, but recent
Department of Energy tests on boat engines showed that increasing the amount of
ethanol to 15% doesn't work for boats. While higher ethanol content has been
approved by the EPA for 2001 and newer cars and light trucks, E15 is not legal
to use in boats and other gas-powered equipment.
Boat
Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) suggests that butanol, an
alcohol with a characteristic banana-like odor typically made from corn and beet
byproducts, may be an answer.
Unlike ethanol, butanol is
less corrosive, doesn't attract moisture which can cause harmful "phase
separation" of the fuel, and can be mixed in ahead of time and shipped
through existing pipelines. It has a higher energy value (110,000 Btu per gallon
versus ethanol's 84,000 Btu), and is safer because its flammability is similar
to diesel fuel. So why aren't America's boaters, motorists and gas-powered tool
and toy owners using butanol?
"Part of the answer is how
the stuff is - or was - made," wrote BoatUS
Seaworthy Magazine Editor and Damage Avoidance Expert Bob Adriance. He says,
"Back in the 1980's when the government was looking at biofuels, the cost to
produce butanol was much higher than ethanol. Congress also gave ethanol a head
start 30 years ago with a subsidy to produce it from corn. However, the subsidy
is now expired and new technologies have made the costs to produce both fuels
similar, although butanol is ultimately far less expensive to produce in terms
of the amount of energy delivered per gallon.
"With its new cost
competitiveness and energy advantages, butanol could be a biofuel that boaters
embrace," said Adriance. "However, we need to find out more about any potential
long-term effects, and would need to overcome the not-too-insignificant reality
of ethanol's financial and political momentum in the market today."
