Consequences of Mixing Alcohol and Gasoline?
1 Answers
Alcohol and gasoline can be mixed. Alcohol can dissolve gasoline. Alcohol molecules consist of a hydroxyl group connected to an ethyl group. The ethyl group is an oil-loving (lipophilic) group, while the hydroxyl group is a water-loving (hydrophilic) group, which is why alcohol can dissolve gasoline. Below are some relevant details: Gasoline is composed of over 99% carbon and hydrogen, along with some aliphatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons. When exposed to air, it can produce some gummy substances. Theoretically, gasoline hardly deteriorates if air is completely excluded. Modern gasoline contains antioxidants, and conservatively, it can be stored for about 8 months. Some regions now use ethanol gasoline, which is a blend of 90% regular gasoline and 10% fuel ethanol. Due to the 10% ethanol content, ethanol gasoline has a shorter shelf life, lasting up to one month at most. Comparing vehicles from regions that consistently use ethanol gasoline with those from regions that alternately use pure gasoline and ethanol gasoline, there are noticeable differences in fault phenomena and distribution of fault locations. Alternating use can easily lead to fuel leakage and exceedance of emission standards. It also increases the likelihood of engine component and EGR system failures, while other aspects show no significant differences. However, vehicles that alternate between pure gasoline and ethanol gasoline exhibit fewer lubrication system and three-way catalytic converter faults compared to those that use ethanol gasoline exclusively.