Butanol

[RWebb]

Butanol might replace (some of) the ethanol in gas

it does not absorb water; wonder how it affects rubber hoses?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/business/energy-environment/weighing-butanol-as-an-alternative-to-ethanol.html?src=twrhp&_r=0&gwh=A7207FA9F070A0B08C9A072EAF939649

[DARISC]

I read BUTANO! and got all excited.

Oh well, fu_ck it.

[onlycafe]

at least it is not from a food source.
put corn back to work as whiskey and fritos.

[944Larry]

I'm all for it if it'll make a small engine run reliably again. It's still an alcohol I gather so it might be rough on hoses and metal lines.

[Brando]

So with some searching I found this:



Source: International Journal of Energy and Environment - Which is a better transportation fuel-Butanol or Ethanol?

Maybe one of the resident fuel-experts could elaborate. As I see it, Butanol has a higher potential energy rating than Ethanol without the destructive properties of Ethanol. Plus, it can be stored - doesn't attract water, etc.

[Brando]

More of the good bits... Better FE over ethanol-blends, less impact & cost overall. The prices below don't include refining/mixing/blending process costs, but as we know Ethanol manufacturing is incredibly taxing. Hah-hah-hah, see what I did there?

Referring to Table 1, butanol contains approximately 86% of the energy of gasoline, while ethanol contains approximately 65%. The lower energy content reduces the acceleration and mileage from a gallon of fuel. Thus, butanol fares much better in energy content and is closer to gasoline in energy content. The differences in energy content would lead to different market prices for the fuels. For example, if the price of pure gasoline is $10.00 per liter, then butanol’s price should approximately be discounted to $8.60 per liter while ethanol should be approximately $6.50 per liter.