Gevo has supplied isobutanol for the isobutanol-gasoline fuel mixture to Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) and Briggs and Stratton (B&S). This fuel blend was tested on small engines from B&S and the test results were in favour of the fuel blend as the engines showed better performance when driven with the new blend.
manufacture of isobutanol
A more detailed look at the test results revealed that isobutanol blends at 12.5% and contributes in easing the pressure on upgrading to superior ethanol blends and reduces the impact on small engines by meeting the mandates for biofuels. Isobutanol is known to be a drop-in fuel, which means that it does not require flex fuel engines or special blender pumps.
The CEO of B&S was prompted by the favourable test results and considered alternative fuel options such as this for powering engines, which has an impact on reducing the need for imported oil in the country. The CEO of OPEI pointed out the capabilities of the new fuel blend in improving the performance of the engine by overcoming the limitations presented by the ethanol blends. He regarded the new fuel as a significant step towards utilising bio-fuels for small engines and automobiles. The president of OPEI explained that isobutanol is poised to play the role of an alternative biofuel that can seamlessly fit into the current supply chain without causing harm to the outdoor power equipment engines. Some of the products that will benefit from the alternative biofuel are lawnmowers, snowmobiles, UTVs, ATVs and motorcycles. The test results of the isobutanol blend on three small engines from B&S were declared at the GIE+EXPO. Some of the key points of the testing results were the absence of any engine performance issues, maintenance of the same horse power and torque levels, unlike ethanol, isobutanol did not absorb moisture, emissions levels were the same and the performance characteristics showed an improvement at temperatures ranging from 40°F to 120°F.