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N.Y. Governor Pushing for Alternate Fuels
Aviran Mordo writes to tell us that the Governor of New York is pushing hard for the widespread availability of both ethanol and biodiesel on the New York State Thruway and 100 more locations around the state. From the article: "Costs and further details of the plan, which Pataki first sketched out in his State of the State address on Wednesday, will not be disclosed until he makes his budget proposal later this month. If the plan is approved by the Legislature, it will give New Yorkers one of the nation's most diverse ranges of fuel choices. Only Minnesota offers an ethanol-rich blend known as E85 at more than 100 stations. Likewise, biodiesel is offered at only a few hundred of the nation's roughly 180,000 stations."
... NY doesn't make corn like Indiana.
One of the distinct advantages to using ethanol as a fuel is having a local distillation/production facility. While we still have to truck in gas since NY isn't exactly rich in oil wells we still lack the excess starch production that can be used as feedstock to columns.
Given our rather poor winter heat (ie, freezing-ass cold) even MORE energy is going to be required for production.
Now, that said, I realize this only address the distribution points within the state. Having a couple of fuel stops, every other one say, that produce E85 would be great and I'd run it. But there's just no easy way to 'make' it yet because we're so energy poor- the key to cheap fuel is recycling as much waste heat as possible (solar capture to preheat stock, exchangers around the condenser, etc)
But hey, it's a step forward, right?
Not really. If you've got a modern vehicle of the right type (gas for ethanol, diesel for bio-D) that was made since, say, 1980 or so, you should be good.
Ethanol rich blends CAN be iffy in carbeurated systems due to the possibility that it might degrade some components, and they're not quite as easily tuned on the fly as modern computer-and-sensor fuel injection types. Pretty much all major auto manufacturers produce cars ready for operation on straight ethanol these days, IIRC.
Bio-D has some problems with older vehicles, as well. The biggest is that the fuel is more likely to corrode some old hoses and such. Natural rubber + bio is a bad thing.
On a side note, you can actually run your own still for pretty cheap, if you have the space, and produce ethanol legally to operate your vehicle. Google around. Diesels can also be run on veggie oil with a few relatively minor modifications. Plenty of resources out there explaining this, too.
Fill in your four or five-letter word of wisdom here _ _ _ _ _.
For ethanol? yes. Alcohols have a much different Stoichiometric air/fuel ratio than your typical gasoline. Gasoline has a perfect burn at 14.7:1 air/fuel ratio.
:)
Alcohol, depending on the variety, usually burns somewhere between 10 and 12:1. What does this mean? Well it requires MORE fuel to create a clean combustion. Though, from what I've read more fuel may be used, but it is a cleaner burn; resulting in less emissions output. Most modern engines could most likely use Ethanol IF they had their fuel systems redone without using certain types of hoses that rot away; and by replacing the fuel pump; since most fuel pumps are set to work with gasoline and alcohol is a good bit thinner.
Alcohol also allows for better tune; engines will develop more horsepower per liter in displacement because of the higher octane effects of various alcohols. This is why there are methanol drag cars out there.
Biodiesel can successfully be used in almost any diesel engine. Some old hoses could possibly have rotted away and need replacing; but that is standard maintenance anyways. I've seen old diesel boats running it; to someone's 1982 Datsun 2.2L diesel (I think its a 2.2) that gets like 60mpg.
A great thing about biodiesel is it has a VERY clean burn. It doesnt stink like diesel motors do. For the most part, everyone says it smells like popcorn... seriously! Biodiesel can also be refined by backyard chemists. There's a guy here in Alabama, believe it or not, that sells it. He does what many backyard refineries do; he gets waste oils and gunk from local restaurants, refines it into biodiesel; uses it for himself to power his home and sells it off. He is also able to refine the waste products of biodiesel and sell them as well. Its quite interesting; and from what I can see, its an environmentalists wet dream
While ethonal does reduce CO2 emissions by burning fuel more completely, (reducing air pollution) it also significantly lowers over fuel economy (upwards of 10% to 20% on most vehicles).
No one in the ethonal lobby ever wants to talk about the nitrogen/oxygen (NO2?) by-products that are increased, which are much worse greenhouse gasses than CO2 ever has or will be. (stays in the atmosphere much longer, and holds in magnitudes more heat than CO2. Coupled with the fact that it's very hard to extract from the atmosphere, unlike CO2)
Then there's the increased pesticide use, the fact that it takes more fuel to produce ethonal than you get back, and it's a giant pipe dream.
When you start mixing politics and science you get shitty science.