Ethanol with automotive fuel/engine

T. PoweU, "Racing Experiences with Methanol and Ethanol Based Motor-Fuel Blends," paper 750124, Automotive Engineering Congress and Exposition, Society of Automotive Engineers, Detroit, Mich., Feb. 1975. 

Ethanol is widely acknowledged to be less aggressive toward metals and elastomers than methanol, but little research and development has been devoted to the specific problems posed by ethanol. Ethanol typically has more water in it than methanol (an artifact of production) which may affect solubility of contaminants and corrosion potential. One ethanol contaminant that can arise from production is acetic acid, which is water-soluble and will corrode some automotive fuel system components. For instance, General Motors found that E85 caused more corrosion in fuel pumps than M85, presumably because of a higher level of dissolved contaminants [3.2]. Since much more development has been devoted to compatibility with methanol fuels, the general approach for ethanol has been to use materials developed for methanol, even though they may be over-engineered. ... 

T. Powell, "Racing Experiences with Alethanol and Ethanol-based Alotor Fuel Blends," SAE Paper 750124, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa., Feb., 1975. 

While most automotive fuel sold in the United States contains 10% ethanol, it is also possible to power the vehicle on a blend that is primarily ethanol. The optimum blend sold in both the U.S. and European markets for flexible-fuel vehicles is E85 (mixture of gasoline containing 85% of ethanol). In Brazil, flex-fuel vehicles can operate with ethanol mixtures up to ElOO. The Brazihan 2008 Honda Civic flex-fuel car is built with a secondary reservoir gasoline tank. In March 2009 the first Polo E-Hex was launched in Brazil without the auxiliary gasoline tank. Ethanol-based engines can be used to power automobiles, tractors, city buses, distribution trucks, and waste collectors. 

ASTM D-4806, Standard Specification for Denatured Fuel Ethanol for Blending with Gasolines for Use in Automotive Spark-Ignition Engines. 

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