Encouraging the use of sustainable biofuels in competition has been one of the objectives of EEMS since 2004. When sustainably produced and efficiently used, biofuels can have a positive effect on carbon dioxide emissions. The UK has led the world in defining standards of carbon and sustainability criteria, and with the increasing focus on energy efficient technologies, UK motorsport can demonstrate its credentials as a highly skilled technology resource and as a testbed for research and development by trialling alternative energy sources in competition, leading the way for other industries.

Bioethanol is not a new discovery. From the start of the twentieth century, the very first cars used bioethanol produced from corn starch and the fuel has long been associated with performance on the track for both cars and motorcycles.

More recently, Nasamax ran the first racing car on 100% bioethanol in the 2003 Sebring and Le Mans races. In the UK, three teams have run E85 (85% bioethanol) in the British Touring Car Championship since 2005. The Formula Woman Championship was the first championship to adopt E85 in 2007, with 100% engine reliability in a whole season of racing and testing by competitive novice drivers.

Barwell Motorsport, racing an Aston Martin DBRS9 in the British GT championship, scored the first UK motorsport win for a bioethanol fuelled car in 2007, and Ratt Racing are racing classic Minis fuelled on E85.

The Short-Track Bike series adopted E85 in 2007 and Team Inzane competed in 2007 with an E85 fuelled motorcycle. The international Fiesta Sporting Trophy rally championship and A1GP championship have introduced bioethanol blends for the 2007/2008 seasons.

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Bioethanol is an alcohol produced by the fermentation and subsequent distillation of natural sugars found in carbohydrates for use as a combustible fuel with a lower water content differentiating it from normal alcohol. Bioethanol can also be produced by the chemical process of reacting ethylene with steam.

The main sources of the sugar to produce bioethanol come at present from crops such as corn, maize, wheat, waste straw and, in the UK, sugar beet. Bioethanol may also be produced from biomass (such as wood or straw) using the hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes.

In order to extract sugars from the biomass, it is pre-treated with enzymes to break down the size of the feedstock and to reveal the cellulose components in the plant structure.

In order to extract sugars from the biomass, it is pre-treated with enzymes to break down the size of the feedstock and to reveal the cellulose components in the plant structure.

Bioethanol is more difficult to use neat (E100) in Europe due to the high levels of engine modifications required and cooler climate conditions causing cold-start problems. Instead bioethanol is available as a blended product for use in engines modified to use this fuel.

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Bioethanol that is sustainably sourced and produced and used correctly may have less environmental impact than traditional petrol as it is produced from renewable resources and has lower emissions.

Unlike fossil fuels which release fossil carbon in the form of C02, biofuels release C02 which has been absorbed from the atmosphere by their plant raw materials as they grow, creating a closed loop carbon cycle.

The UK has been at the forefront of developing safeguards to ensure that only sustainable biofuels are supported, and the EU is now adopting similar procedures.

The Renewable Fuels Agency, set up by the Department of Transport, is responsible for monitoring biofuels in the UK and has been asked by Government to review the wider environmental and economic impacts of growing biofuels.

Fuel suppliers have been given a detailed methodology for calculating the carbon savings of a variety of biofuels.

See more information about biofuels at:
www.dta.gov.uk/rfa
www.lowcvp.org.uk
www.biofuelsday.co.uk
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/rtfo

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All road and off-road fuels including bioethanol are subject to strict quality controls which are vital to maintain production standards and to provide authorities with the ability to assess safety risks and environmental pollution. In motorsport, these standards also ensure equal competitiveness and regulatory compliance between vehicles and racing circuits. For some time, bioethanol has been used as an octane booster, replacing lead in some pump fuel.

Bioethanol is sold in the UK from a small but growing number of forecourts and is available as a blended product; 95% petrol blended with 5% bioethanol is known as E5 and 85% bioethanol blended with 15% petrol is known as E85.

A commercial vehicle fuel E95, an alternative to diesel fuel, is also available for use in the high compression light duty engines of diesel city buses where emission reduction is paramount.

The European standard for E5 falls within the European standard EN228 for normal petrol and is supplied on many forecourts without the need for any explicit labelling.

A European standard specification is currently under development for E85.

Bioethanol for road fuel use is difficult to produce on a DIY basis. The processing can be dangerous and the resulting fuel likely to be of poor quality containing high levels of water. The producer will also require a special alcohol distiller’s licence and satisfy the strict criteria set out by Customs and Excise before embarking on such a project.

As E85 does yet have an EN standard, care must be taken when purchasing this fuel. Only select bioethanol fuel from reputable suppliers such as the large retail forecourt chains and check to ensure that it is bioethanol and not synthetic ethanol, which uses fossil fuels during its production.

Bioethanol biodegrades at a faster rate than conventional petrol and absorbs water from the atmosphere directly into the molecules of the fuel, reducing its combustion properties and potentially damaging your engine.

If using pump E85 fuel, there is a risk that it may be of considerable age, which may allow it to develop high water content, due to the low numbers of road users at present in the UK.

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Bioethanol is a clear colourless liquid, with a non offensive aroma; it is biodegradable, low in toxicity and causes little environmental impact if spilt.

Blending bioethanol with petrol oxygenates the fuel mixture so that it burns more completely at higher temperatures reducing polluting emissions by up to 30% in E85 form. Even a small amount of bioethanol will greatly reduce emissions and improve the combustion qualities of a petrol fuel blend.

Bioethanol has a higher octane rating than petrol at 104 RON compared to 95 RON for petrol and is especially well suited to high compression turbocharged engines. Bioethanol’s main draw in motorsport is the performance gain from this clean burning fuel.

However E85 contains approximately 20% less energy by volume than petrol. The reduction in energy value may require the installation of a larger fuel tank and increase in fuel flow rate as the fuel consumption will increase by approximately 30%. Suitably modified spark ignition, fuel injected, turbocharged and even normally aspirated carburettor engines from all eras, classics to moderns, can run on this fuel.

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In the UK, bioethanol is commonly available in two blends E5 and E85. E5 can be used in any spark ignition engine without modification.

E5 is well suited to older classic vehicles and those that want to reduce emissions without re-engineering their cars.

On the other hand, E85 can require extensive modifications to fuelling system and ignition timing.

Modern engines will require adjustments to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) in order to run properly.

Dedicated racers with fully modified cars or those with Flex Fuel cars can really benefit from using bioethanol. For sealed engines or unreadable ECUs, a ‘piggyback’ unit can be added which senses the fuel blend and adjusts the fuel injectors.

This proved 100% successful for the 2007 Formula Woman Championship’s E85 Caterhams with Minister-Power-built engines.

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As bioethanol degrades during storage, it is advisable to consider using a specialist fuels supplier for motorsport applications.

Bioethanol has very different characteristics to petrol and in motorsport should not be thought of as a ‘like for like’ replacement. Bioethanol is hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from the atmosphere directly into the fuel molecules, whereas any water found in petrol sinks to the bottom of the tank and gets collected in the fuel filter.

This water-bioethanol mixture provides a media for producing bacteria and fungus. They survive in the interface between the fuel product and water feeding off the hydrocarbons and sugars. They are dark and have a fluffy gel like appearance. The waste products secreted by the bacteria include water, sludge and acidic gel.

The bacteria in bioethanol can also consume rubber gaskets, cork gaskets, seals, hoses and metal coatings for their mineral contents.

Poorly managed fuel control could lead to contamination of the vehicle’s fuel tank and fuel system; once contaminated it is almost impossible to remove resulting in potential engine and fuel system damage.

Special care should be taken if bacterial growth is found in the fuel to ensure that it does not come in contact with skin.

Bioethanol is four times as volatile as petrol and extreme care should be taken to avoid exposure to naked flames or sparks. There is a danger of fuel tank explosions. Bioethanol mixtures including E85 can potentially ignite inside fuel tanks if a source of ignition is available, such as a spark during refuelling.

To combat this, all CE-approved road E85 vehicles are fitted with 'flame arrestors' in the fuel tank filler neck and this should also be the case for competition vehicles. The 100% bioethanol Nasamax car carried an aviation-style NBS tank inerting system using polymer membrane technology.

The vapour expelled from bioethanol blends is also denser than petrol vapour and tends to accumulate at ground level in pits and even drains. Workshops should be well ventilated with a constant throughflow of air to dissipate any vapours present.

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All petrol engined vehicles will require some form of modification in order to run effectively on E85 fuel. The level of modifications required will be entirely dependent on the age of the vehicle, type of fuelling system, size of theengine, the racing application and the racing regulations for your chosen sport.

17 point checklist for using biodiesel:

1. Check with your vehicle manufacturer to ensure that your engine type is compatible forconversion to run on bioethanol. Recently manufactured vehicles will be more compatible with bioethanol than older vehicles.

2. Bioethanol biodegrades at a faster rate than conventional petrol and absorbs water from the atmosphere directly into the molecules of the fuel, reducing its combustion properties and potentially damaging your engine.

   Only a small number of road vehicles use E85 at the moment, which results in forecourts sometimes holding E85 in their tanks for over 12 months. If using pump fuel, it is advisable to buy this from a forecourt with a high volume of sales and therefore deliveries, and to check first how old the fuel is. It is not advised to use bioethanol over 6 months old.'

3. Bioethanol, and in particular the bacteria that can grow in it, can be corrosive. Vehicles produced before 2003 may not be suitable for un-modified use with bioethanol as the fuelling systems may contain incompatible polymers and rubbers found in hoses and gaskets. When used with bioethanol, materials such as polypropylene, nitrile rubber, fluorosilicon, polyvinyl and Tygon may soften, swell and degrade over time.

   The sediment formation resulting from the breakdown of these materials may lead to blocked filters, damaged fuel pumps, glazed cylinder bores and so on.

   Most vehicles made after 2003 are built with compatible seals, gaskets and hoses produced from materials such as Viton GFLT, Viton A401- C Teflon, fluorinated rubber and Nylon 66. All are resistant to the effects of bioethanol and are standard fittings in many modern vehicles.

4. Bioethanol may contain high levels of formic acid that will also corrode non-coated aluminium and magnesium castings. Vehicles designed to operate on E85 will have nitride coating on exposed surfaces to reduce the corrosive effects.

5. Bioethanol is an aggressive solvent. It will quickly loosen and dissolve any accumulated sediment or lacquer left behind by petrol in fuel tanks, fuel lines and fuel systems. The extent of sediment build up will depend on the age and condition of the vehicle and fuel tank. Fuel filters are likely to block with these sediment deposits.

   Bioethanol can also damage paint and destroy vinyl graphics, so care should be taken when refuelling. It is advisable to change the fuel filter more frequently until all of the sediment, paint overspray, grease, adhesive and dirt disturbed by the bioethanol is out of the system.

6. Bioethanol can cause corrosion to steel found in pipe work and the fuel tank itself caused by the water content within the fuel. The fuel tank should be replaced with a tank suitable for holding bioethanol. Stainless steel tanks are easily available but ensure that the replacement will cope with the increased fuel capacity required. It is advisable to drain all fuel from the tank when storing the vehicle.

7. Consider rerouting the tank breather pipe to a vapour expansion tank at the rear of the vehicle away from the ground to avoid unnecessary contact with water.

8. High fuel flows may cause some of the fuel to wash down into the lubricating oil diluting the oil. This will evaporate from the oil as the engine heats up; however tests have revealed that high levels of formic acid can form, which, if left in the engine, can cause problems with crankshaft bearings and other unprotected metals. More frequent oil change intervals may be required. It is advisable to have your oil tested by a specialist oil laboratory.

9. Engine management systems will require modification to enable the engine to operate on E85 as the parameters set by the manufacturer will not cope with bioethanol fuel. Flex fuel systems can be piggybacked onto existing engine management systems with success.

   Further adjustments may be required to fine tune the engine. These modifications are varied and complex and should only be trusted to a professional engine technician or conversion company.

10. Spark plugs are supplied in differing heat ranges dependent on use and location. As bioethanol tends to burn cooler than petrol, plugs should be replaced with a hotter grade to raise the combustion temperature. Plug cables, coil packs and igniters should be checked for condition and replaced if any part looks corroded. Bioethanol vehicles require a stronger spark to ignite especially in colder weather.

11. Fuel injection nozzles, or fuel jets in carburettors, should be cleaned after the first few hours of use to remove any contamination or gumming that may have formed. This will usually clear quite quickly once the system has been cleaned of any residue or debris.

12. Check the fuel pump pressure and flow. The results should be in accordance with the standards set by the vehicle manufacturer. However, a highly modified fuel system will require a higher capacity pump to cope with extra fuel flow required.

13. The air mass sensor, if not new, should be replaced with new to ensure the air flow rate into the engine is to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

14. The Lambda sensor in the exhaust system should be in perfect operating condition, and when tested it should be bordering on the minimum and maximum of the range and should not lock.

15. Mixture ratios are critical when running on bioethanol because the mixture of air to fuel differs from that used in petrol engines. Mixture ratios for petrol can be between 13-15 grams of air to 1 gram of petrol. For bioethanol it can be between 9-10 grams of air to 1 gram of bioethanol; needless to say this is a process for an experienced professional.

16. To extract the maximum performance from a bioethanol fuelled engine, it may be beneficial to increase the compression ratio of the engine. A standard petrol engine can operate with a low ratio range of 8-12 to 1, when compared with bioethanol engines that perform best with a high compression ratio range of up to 14-20 to 1.

17. Do not allow bioethanol to come in contact with footwear as the solvent properties of bioethanol can melt your footwear causing dangerous conditions when operating the foot controls.

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Bioethanol is much more volatile than petrol and should not be stored in garages or store room without adequate ventilation. Bioethanol should be stored in stainless steel canisters with no more than a 25 litre capacity and be fitted with airtight lids to prevent moisture ingress.

Although bioethanol is biodegradable its vapour is highly explosive. Do not dispose of surplus fuel down drains or into septic tanks, contact your local waste recycling centre for advice for the correct methods of disposal.

When using or storing bioethanol, the introduction of fire extinguishers, fire blankets and fire fighting and evacuation instructions for you and your team members are essential.

When carrying additional fuel to and from race meetings, the vehicles carrying the extra fuel must display the flammable liquids symbols to the rear of the vehicle.

Where dedicated gasoline type storage is used, it should be noted that there are a number of variances, mainly relating to flame arrestors and interceptors. A guidance note can be downloaded from the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk.

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Prepared with assistance from Fleetsolve Ltd

© EEMS Energy Efficient Motorsport
Momenta, Didcot, OX11 0QJ
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