Biobutanol vs. Ethanol
Watch Phase Separation with Ethanol
Phase-separated ethanol fuel wreaks havoc on your boat fuel system and fuel system components. See for yourself why biobutanol is a superior biofuel for marine engines. The advantages of biobutanol are clear!
The timelaspe video below shows phase-separation with ethanol E10 fuel (beaker on right) while the biobutanol iB16 (beaker on the left) remains completely clear. This is what happens to ethanol fuel in your boat fuel tank over a period of time and is the source of many boat and engine fuel system issues.
Biobutanol 16.1% by volume
Ethanol 10% by volume
Jess Hewitt of Gulf Fuels demonstrates the superior performance of biobutanol fuel. Unlike ethanol, biobutanol does not absorb water and phase-separate.
When water is added to ethanol, the water and ethanol mix, forcing the gasoline to float on top of the ethanol/water mix as shown in the cylinder on the right. The fuel tank pickup is located at the bottom of the fuel tank, which means the engine ingests a highly corrosive mix of ethanol and water causing potentially catastrophic damange. When water is added to the biobutanol cylinder on the left, water sinks to the bottom of the cylinder, leaving the butanol and gasoline untouched. The water can easily be removed by a water/fuel separator which are installed in many boat fuel systems.
Boat Fuel Systems
The majority of boat fuel systems are open-vented to the atmosphere, allowing water and moisture to enter the fuel tank during periods of storage. Because of the typical long storage seasons of recreational boats, particularly in northern climates, ethanol fuels can phase-separate causing issues for the boat owner.
Biobutanol vs. Ethanol Summary Table
Better: + Same: o Worse: -
