Alternatives to ethanol

Gasoline out boards on voyaging yachts sometimes sit unused for extended periods, a potential problem with ethanol-blended fuels.

Most voyagers use diesel engines for their vessel’s auxiliary propulsion. To drive their dinghies and tenders, however, most use gasoline outboards. And the gasoline in the marine distribution chain contains ethanol, which can have deleterious effects on engines and fuel systems — even at the 10 percent ethanol formulation. In recent years, 15 percent ethanol formulations have appeared, further exacerbating problems. There’s a variety of companies working on making an alternative to ethanol called isobutanol or biobutanol. This product promises to do the same job as ethanol as a gasoline additive but without many of the associated problems.

One of the companies making biobutanol is a Colorado-based firm called Gevo. Patrick Gruber, CEO and founder of Gevo, recently visited our office and discussed his company’s efforts to ramp up production of biobutanol.

Ethanol is made from corn, but Gevo has developed processes to make biobutanol from corn as well as other carbohydrate raw materials like sugar cane, molasses, bagasse (the stalks remaining after sugar cane has been crushed to extract the juice), rice straw, wheat straw, corn stover, wood, forestry residue and slash.