5 ms·

This is just falsehood. Ethanol gas is a pure subsidy program. It serves no utility other than ensuring fuel quality corn gets grown. Edit: They don't add it

This is just falsehood. Ethanol gas is a pure subsidy program. It serves no utility other than ensuring fuel quality corn gets grown. Edit: They don't add it to the fuel because they want to. They do it because they are mandated to. Anti-knock properties are just a tiny silver lining that could be obtained through more efficient means were it not for the subsidized ethanol.

ZeroGravitas 4y ago
From Wikipedia: > Due to the phasing out of MTBE as a gasoline additive and mainly due to the mandates established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, ethanol blends have increased throughout the United States, and by 2009, the ethanol market share in the U.S. gasoline supply reached almost 8% by volume and > In the U.S. MTBE has been used in gasoline at low levels since 1979, replacing tetraethyllead (TEL) as an antiknock (octane rating) additive to prevent engine knocking.[15] Oxygenates also help gasoline burn more completely, reducing tailpipe emissions and dilute or displace gasoline components such as aromatics (e.g., benzene). Before the introduction of other oxygenates and octane enhancers, refiners chose MTBE for its blending characteristics and low cost. It is a farm subsidy program, but it also has an actual use. Oil companies went with lead in the first place, despite being well aware of the dangers, because ethanol is also a competitor to gasoline, being a fuel itself.
- enragedcacti 4y ago
  Ethanol is probably the best option we have for anti-knock, but corn-based ethanol is worse in pretty much every way compared to other sources of ethanol like switchgrass. So while ethanol itself has a use, corn-based ethanol is pretty much just a farm subsidy at the cost of the environment.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  General Motors also backed lead heavily, because lead additives destroyed engines in only a few years, increasing turnover.
ncmncm 4y ago
Not quite. Yes, Archers Daniels Midland collects a monstrous undeserved federal subsidy. But unleaded gasoline needs something to raise its octane rating. MBTE turned out to be a public health and ecological disaster. What we use now is ethanol. Probably some other alternative would be cheaper and not burn crop acreage, but wasting corn has been good politics: corn farming states have a preponderance of senators.
- shortstuffsushi 4y ago
  > unleaded gasoline needs something to raise its octane rating Probably naive, what does this mean? There are unleaded gases for sale that are ethanol free at some gas stations (typically only the premium / highest octane) which are often preferred for small motors / high end engines. I don't think they mix in lead, is MTBE what is added instead in those cases? I haven't heard of MTBE before. ETA: I've been able to find a number of sites for WI gas stations saying "we have ethanol free," but none of them mention what is added in its place (if anything).
  - ZeroGravitas 4y ago
    Some of them do use lead: https://www.classicfuelsolutions.co.uk/products/classic-fuel-solutions-formula-105-event-cc https://www.classicfuelsolutions.co.uk/products/classic-fuel... That's a UK supplier but an answer on Quora suggests 'race' fuels are sold in the US with lead too. Not legal to use on the road though. > Effective January 1, 1996, leaded gasoline was banned by the Clean Air Act for use in new vehicles other than aircraft, racing cars, farm equipment, and marine engines.
    - throwaway0a5e 4y ago
      The presence of small amounts of lead in a niche motor fuel product in a country that doesn't have a corn industry to speak of in ethanol subsidy program is irrelevant to the point of dishonest when the subject at hand is US corn subsidies. The only leaded fuel you can buy in the US is aviation fuel. You can't buy it at a gas station and the only reason it still exists with lead in it is because that is necessary for compliance with government rules that regulate what fuel can be sold for that specific purpose.
dublin 4y ago
And this is not likely to change as long as Iowa gets pandered to in every presidential election cycle.

ZeroGravitas 4y ago

From Wikipedia: > Due to the phasing out of MTBE as a gasoline additive and mainly due to the mandates established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, ethanol blends have increased throughout the United States, and by 2009, the ethanol market share in the U.S. gasoline supply reached almost 8% by volume and > In the U.S. MTBE has been used in gasoline at low levels since 1979, replacing tetraethyllead (TEL) as an antiknock (octane rating) additive to prevent engine knocking.[15] Oxygenates also help gasoline burn more completely, reducing tailpipe emissions and dilute or displace gasoline components such as aromatics (e.g., benzene). Before the introduction of other oxygenates and octane enhancers, refiners chose MTBE for its blending characteristics and low cost. It is a farm subsidy program, but it also has an actual use. Oil companies went with lead in the first place, despite being well aware of the dangers, because ethanol is also a competitor to gasoline, being a fuel itself.

enragedcacti 4y ago
Ethanol is probably the best option we have for anti-knock, but corn-based ethanol is worse in pretty much every way compared to other sources of ethanol like switchgrass. So while ethanol itself has a use, corn-based ethanol is pretty much just a farm subsidy at the cost of the environment.
ncmncm 4y ago
General Motors also backed lead heavily, because lead additives destroyed engines in only a few years, increasing turnover.

ncmncm 4y ago

Not quite. Yes, Archers Daniels Midland collects a monstrous undeserved federal subsidy. But unleaded gasoline needs something to raise its octane rating. MBTE turned out to be a public health and ecological disaster. What we use now is ethanol. Probably some other alternative would be cheaper and not burn crop acreage, but wasting corn has been good politics: corn farming states have a preponderance of senators.

shortstuffsushi 4y ago
> unleaded gasoline needs something to raise its octane rating Probably naive, what does this mean? There are unleaded gases for sale that are ethanol free at some gas stations (typically only the premium / highest octane) which are often preferred for small motors / high end engines. I don't think they mix in lead, is MTBE what is added instead in those cases? I haven't heard of MTBE before. ETA: I've been able to find a number of sites for WI gas stations saying "we have ethanol free," but none of them mention what is added in its place (if anything).
- ZeroGravitas 4y ago
  Some of them do use lead: https://www.classicfuelsolutions.co.uk/products/classic-fuel-solutions-formula-105-event-cc https://www.classicfuelsolutions.co.uk/products/classic-fuel... That's a UK supplier but an answer on Quora suggests 'race' fuels are sold in the US with lead too. Not legal to use on the road though. > Effective January 1, 1996, leaded gasoline was banned by the Clean Air Act for use in new vehicles other than aircraft, racing cars, farm equipment, and marine engines.
  - throwaway0a5e 4y ago
    The presence of small amounts of lead in a niche motor fuel product in a country that doesn't have a corn industry to speak of in ethanol subsidy program is irrelevant to the point of dishonest when the subject at hand is US corn subsidies. The only leaded fuel you can buy in the US is aviation fuel. You can't buy it at a gas station and the only reason it still exists with lead in it is because that is necessary for compliance with government rules that regulate what fuel can be sold for that specific purpose.

dublin 4y ago

And this is not likely to change as long as Iowa gets pandered to in every presidential election cycle.