Butanol Instead of Gasoline?

With the recent rise in oil prices to record levelswithout conversion though if used in low ratio
alternative fuel sources are increasingly in demand.mixtures with gasoline. Simple conversions will allow it
One option would be to switch to butanol producedto run pure though. More specifically increasing the
by biological sources like bacteria using biomass as afuel flow rate and adjusting the gasoline gauge to
fuel. This would mean using a renewable energy fuelshow the correct levels.
source to create fuel used in a large amount ofIt is almost like a trade off between environmental
vehicles in existence. As fossil fuels have begun toimpact at the start of production (gasoline) or when
show energy dependence on an unsustainable fuelthe final product is consumed (butanol). The benefits
can be disastrous for the world economy. However,of a renewable fuel have to be weighed against
there are also some downsides to using thismore environmental damage and modification of
alternative fuel.some automobiles. Currently the energy landscape
Using butanol in a combustion engine results in moremeans that gasoline continues to be the best choice
toxic fumes than gasoline produces. The energybut it may not always be this way. Butanol could be
content of gasoline to butanol is around 10:9. Thisa viable alternative energy especially if an exhaust
means fuel flow has to be increased around 10% tofiltration system was created to capture most of the
get the same performance in an engine designed forwaste byproducts for possible recycling.
gasoline. Butanol can be used in most automobiles