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DeKalb gas stations contribute to ethanol-blended gas choice
It’s getting very hard to escape ethanol.
One would be hard-pressed to find a gas station in DeKalb that offers any gasoline without it. Every Mobil, Marathon, BP and Shell station offers only ethanol-blended gasoline, including normal unleaded gasoline.
Every gas station selling ethanol-blended gasoline must display an ethanol content sticker near the pumps.
The sticker is mandated because most cars made before 1970, along with most modern gas-powered, home-care or small engine devices are not compatible with even the 10 percent ethanol blend.
“The industry standard is 10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline,” said Larry Hickey, owner of Hickey’s Corner Store, 218 W. Lincoln Highway. “When gasoline rose over $2.50, stations started thinking more seriously about blending to keep costs down and now most in the Corn Belt states do.”
According to the Illinois government, more than 60 percent of the gasoline sold in Illinois, and 95 percent in Chicago, contains up to 10 percent ethanol.
There are a few reasons for the ethanol surge.
Federal legislation created a tax-credit system as an incentive for gas stations to sell ethanol blends.
“For every gallon of ethanol used, the gas station receives a 51 cent tax credit,” said Richard Ruebe, chief executive officer of GTL Resources USA, the project development company working with the Rochelle ethanol plant.
Also, in July 2004, Illinois joined a number of other states in banning a gasoline octane booster and oxygenator, MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) after studies showed that it lead to dangerous groundwater contamination. This additive has been replaced by ethanol, which also acts as an additive and burns cleaner than MTBE and other petroleum-based fuels.
One of the last choices for those who wish to steer clear of the ethanol issue in DeKalb is offered by Casey’s General Stores.
“We offer clear products,” said Bill Walljasper, chief financial official for Casey’s. “We give the option of buying either straight unleaded gasoline or the ethanol blend.”
Casey’s labels its ethanol-blended gasoline super-unleaded because ethanol boosts the octane. The price of their super-unleaded fluctuates between being a few cents more expensive to 10 cents cheaper than straight gasoline.
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Actually, ethanol enhanced gasoline is quite usable in pre-1970 vehicles and lawn equipment. I have several lawn appliances from mowers to bowers whose engines were manufactured in the 1960's. They all run like a top. The problem with pre-70's autos and ethanol enhanced gasoline, or gasohol as it was called when it was released, was that the ethanol acts like a detergent in gasoline tanks and fuel delivery systems within a car. Pre-alcohol gasoline autos used gallons of 'straignt' gasoline. Gasoline leaves behind a film of varnish.. .yes the stuff you find on most wood furniture, in tanks, fuel lines and carburetors. This stuff stayed put and caused no problems until the car was scrapped. A semi-annual carburetor cleaning removed deposits that caused sluggish operation of carburetor butterflies. When gasolhol was introduced to these 'experienced' systems, the alcohol in the gasolhol dissolved these deposits and the varnish was thus sucked out of the tank and fuel lines by the mecanical fuel pumps of the day. As with all well designed autos, there are fuel filters within the fuel delivery system. Back then, due to the clean supply of fuel in the country, some filters were barely bigger than a man's thumb. The varnish would hung up in the filter, thus shutting off the flow of fuel. Swapping out the plugged filter for a new, clean one could be done in about 15 minutes, even along side the road if necessary. Once the varnish had been thoroughly cleaned out of the tank and a half dozen or so filters later, all was good. Some manufacturers' fuel pumps and carburetor parts would also be degraded by the alcohol. A fuel pump change and carb kit would have you totally compatibile with all 90/10 gasohol mixes.
I'm dubious that any purveyor of gasoline has 100% gasoline to sell. When MTBE, an oxygenator which helps gasoline burn more completely, was outlawed, ethanol was the only oxygenator option. The price of gasoline actually went up when alcohol was and is the only cost effective oxygenator available to gasoline refineries. This is because, at the time, a gallion of gasoline was cheaper than a gallon of alcohol, though, one wonders what the cost of a gallon of MTBE was.
If a purveyor of gasoline based fuels is selling gasoline, sans an oxygenator, one wonders if the EPA would have a problem with all that unburned fuel.
Pre-1970 autos and olther gasoline powered equipment are not compatible with UNLEADED gasoline. Lead increases the octane of gasoline, cheaply. It also has the unintended effect of cushioning the blow of the engine's valves slamming against their seats hundreds times a minute at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Take the lead out and the valve seats will erode away in short order. Either an engine has to be rebuilt or a lead substitute is required to mix with the gasoline used in these engines.
There used to be available at the big-box and auto stores quart and gallon bottles of lead substitute. I haven't seen these in many years. Probably due to low sales as these older cars came to the end of their useful lives. I'm sure current owners of old cars with soft valve seats know where to purchase it. There is even a company who caters to the agriculture market, where old gasoline tractors from the 40's and 50's are still being used, who has for sale the real deal. A quart of tretraethyl lead. It's not cheap, it's highly toxic, and quite illegal to use for anything other than 'antique' vehicles.
I'm dubious that any purveyor of gasoline has 100% gasoline to sell. When MTBE, an oxygenator which helps gasoline burn more completely, was outlawed, ethanol was the only oxygenator option. The price of gasoline actually went up when alcohol was and is the only cost effective oxygenator available to gasoline refineries. This is because, at the time, a gallion of gasoline was cheaper than a gallon of alcohol, though, one wonders what the cost of a gallon of MTBE was.
If a purveyor of gasoline based fuels is selling gasoline, sans an oxygenator, one wonders if the EPA would have a problem with all that unburned fuel.
Pre-1970 autos and olther gasoline powered equipment are not compatible with UNLEADED gasoline. Lead increases the octane of gasoline, cheaply. It also has the unintended effect of cushioning the blow of the engine's valves slamming against their seats hundreds times a minute at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Take the lead out and the valve seats will erode away in short order. Either an engine has to be rebuilt or a lead substitute is required to mix with the gasoline used in these engines.
There used to be available at the big-box and auto stores quart and gallon bottles of lead substitute. I haven't seen these in many years. Probably due to low sales as these older cars came to the end of their useful lives. I'm sure current owners of old cars with soft valve seats know where to purchase it. There is even a company who caters to the agriculture market, where old gasoline tractors from the 40's and 50's are still being used, who has for sale the real deal. A quart of tretraethyl lead. It's not cheap, it's highly toxic, and quite illegal to use for anything other than 'antique' vehicles.