The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 136
The alleged writer of the email didn't offer any further details of what he meant
by "ruined," and Ms. Pick didn't elaborate any further on the issue other than to
use it as the springboard to introduce Lauren Fix to the show.
However, this comment is just one instance of negative claims made against
ethanol regarding small internal combustion engines (two-stroke engines).
These are the engines typically found in lawn and garden equipment, motorcycles, and boats.
There are three complaints made about ethanol-gasoline fuel blends. The first
is that the ethanol causes sludge, tar, gunk, goo, crap (or whatever you want to
call it) to appear in the fuel tank, thereby clogging the filter, spark plugs, fuel
injectors, carburetors, etc.
The second complaint is that the ethanol corrodes the rubber hoses and some
metal parts.
The third is that the ethanol in the fuel-blend magically sucks water right out of
the air and drops it in your fuel tank.
Of the three, I'd say that the first - "the sludge quagmire" is the most often heard.
And without knowing anything further about what Jacki Pick's colleague was
referring to, I'd say that this is what he might have meant - assuming that the
email was real and not just a device to open the show.
To get to the bottom of this issue, basic questions must be asked:
Question #1 - Does sludge/goo/gunk/crap form in an internal combustion
engine? The answer is yes.
Question #2 - Is the sludge/goo/gunk/crap because of ethanol? The answer is no; it is because of the gasoline and oil used in the fuel.
While ethanol is a fuel, it is also a very effective solvent. Solvents are used to
clean and remove the residue and deposits left after a substance has been
used, such as the residue and deposits left after gasoline and/or oil is burned.
Gasoline is also a solvent, but it's not as effective a solvent as ethanol. Gasoline
and petroleum oil products are, however, very effective in leaving residue. They
are champs in leaving behind deposits.
