The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 108
The above quote is located on the top of page 156 in Victor Page's manual at
https://books.google.com/books?id=dqEgAAAAMAAJ.
When tetraethyl lead was added to gasoline by the General Motors scientists in
the early 1920's it worked like ethanol in quieting engine knock. However, it was
highly corrosive, so they had to add ethylene dibromide to the gasoline-tetraethyl lead fuel mixture. Now they had a poison (gasoline), mixed with another
poison (tetraethyl lead) in order to stop the engine knock caused by gasoline,
with yet another poison (ethylene dibromide) to stop corrosion caused by tetraethyl lead. It's like a triple-threat poisonous concoction unleashed on the public
by a science-fiction madman - except it really happened.
The advent of leaded-gasoline also led to changes in the design and manufacture of engine components to help handle this fuel. These changes probably
were at least part of the reason why ethanol may have gone from being the
harmless substance described by Victor Page to a potential corrosive fuel.
However, the new report released by NREL introduces the distinct possibility
that the modern complaints of ethanol corrosion are the result of intentional or
accidental monkeying with the ethanol-gasoline blends by the oil industry (or
cronies of the oil industry) to denigrate ethanol.
Could the oil industry or its minions be responsible for this? Would they stoop
to doing this?
Of course, they would, trillions of dollars are at stake. The petroleum oil industry
colluded with the Nazis** before and during World War II to ensure their position
of dominance after the war in case the Allies lost. They're responsible for unleashing terrible poisons into our air and water. Oil wars have killed millions of
Americans, and untold tens of millions of people around the world. Oil industry
carelessness has killed millions of non-human animals of all types.
On the other hand, perhaps it's all just a coincidence? Perhaps the sheer competitive desire by the oil industry to keep their engine fuels the dominant engine
fuels, even though there is a superior fuel (ethanol) at hand, just lends itself to
circumstantial conjecture?
I can go with circumstantial conjecture. I don't think I need to paint a picture of
premeditated death and destruction...as long as everyone understands that
everything else I've written here isn't coincidence or circumstantial conjecture.
Ethanol was the best fuel to use in internal combustion engines; it was the safest fuel to use in internal combustion engines; it provided the most power for
