E10 and E85 are ethanol blended petrols. They are a blend of unleaded petrol and ethanol. E10 fuel is a blend of unleaded petrol and up to 10% ethanol. It is widely used in Australia.
The largest ethanol producer in Australia is the Manildra Group in Bomaderry, which produces 300 million litres of ethanol using wheat waste starch. This corresponds to approximately 68% of total ethanol production.
Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from plant materials and corn biomass by way of a biochemical process that converts starch to sugars, which then ferment into alcohol. It's also known as E85 as well as flex fuel.
In Australia, E85 is uncommon compared to unleaded and premium unleaded alternatives, but is more readily available at certain United Petroleum service stations around the country.
Unleaded 91 with 10% ethanol
Blending the ethanol at this ratio increases the RON from 91 to 94. Australian fuel quality standards allow up to 10% by volume of ethanol in unleaded petrol, and the NSW and Queensland Governments are currently mandating greater use of biofuels as alternatives to petrol and diesel.
Together, the United States and Brazil produce 84% of the world's ethanol. The vast majority of U.S. ethanol is produced from corn, while Brazil primarily uses sugarcane.
It's also often called 'Flex Fuel'. As the name suggests it's 85% ethanol and only 15% regular petrol, meaning that in addition to having better performance characteristics, E85 could have a slightly lower impact on the environment while supporting local industry.
“The reason for that is because the main ingredient in E85 - ethanol - is priced far below gasoline right now. You look at the wholesale terminals where the fuel is blended and ethanol today is selling for about $2.80 a gallon. That compares to gasoline that is selling for about $4.20 a gallon.
Putting 91 or 95 fuel in a car designed for 98 petrol can lead to engine knock, whereby the petrol burns too early and may damage the engine, or lead to greater wear and tear over the long term. E10 and E85 also have octane ratings, with E10 usually having a rating of 94 whilst E85 will exceed a rating of 100.
e85 is nothing more than 85% ethanol mixed with 15% gasoline. Making your own ethanol will require some initial investment, but the rewards will be very, very beneficial. You can make your own e85 for right around a $1.00 a gallon if you buy the corn and for about $. 60 a gallon if you grow your own corn.
Combine 85% purified ethanol with 15% gasoline to make E85 fuel. This is the standard ratio used to turn pure ethanol into a reliable fuel source. Mix the 2 liquids in a clean gas can or similar container, and seal it for storage.
The reason for E85's price increase is attributed to corn prices, which have risen more than 50 percent in the past few months. And with roughly a bushel of corn required to produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol, the price of fuel keeps climbing. But rising prices don't necessarily translate to decreased demand.
Manildra Group is Australia's leading producer of ethanol – including a range of grades for food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and personal care, industrial applications and transport fuels – as part of an innovative, integrated production process at our Shoalhaven Starches site in Nowra, New South Wales.
However, at the moment, E85 costs about 90 cents per litre at a time when regular unleaded has been between $1.20 and $1.30 per litre.
There are three general categories of ethanol-gasoline blends: E10, E15, and E85. E10 is gasoline with 10% ethanol content. E15 is gasoline with 15% ethanol content, and E85 is a fuel that may contain up to 85% fuel ethanol.
E85 has higher octane than regular gasoline. This means that E85 is a lot better for your car's engine than regular gasoline. It is also a cleaner fuel with lesser harmful emissions. On the downside, E85 burns faster and produces lesser energy than gasoline.
Other times, like if you accidentally put E85 fuel in a car that's not designed for it, you can void your engine warranty or cause costly damage to fuel lines. The price to fix a car from a fueling mishap can be steep, but there's no reason to panic.
Because of E85s increased resistance to detonation, it allows for more power without the cost of expensive race fuels. Even at low power levels, E85 can also be a much safer fuel than normal pump gas. Much like methanol injection, the alcohol present in E85 is great for cooling down your incoming air/fuel charge.
You may be surprised by how much octane is in E85. Ethanol naturally has a high octane rating, so E85 is always over 100 octane. Ethanol is often used as racing fuel for this reason. So it would be pointless to add any harmful aromatics to E85.
Typically, E85 requires 30 per cent more volume to produce the same energy as 98 octane, as it contains 30 per cent less energy per litre. However, the added usage is far outweighed by the benefits, such as the higher octane rating of 105–107 for pump variants and 112 for race-blended E85s.
Usina São Martinho in Pradópolis Brazil – the largest sugar-ethanol plant in operation in the world – has achieved Bonsucro certification. Founded in 1948, the mill has an approximate crush capacity of 10 million tonnes of sugarcane each harvest.
United States. The United States produces and consumes more ethanol fuel than any other country in the world. Ethanol use as fuel dates back to Henry Ford, who in 1896 designed his first car, the "Quadricycle" to run on pure ethanol.
The United States is the leading producer of fuel ethanol in the world. In 2021, the U.S. produced 15 billion gallons of the biofuel. The U.S. is also the overall leading biofuel producer in the world.