How to prevent biofuel from damaging the technology?

How to prevent biofuel from damaging your technology?

How to prevent biobased fuel from destroying technology?
It is no secret that modern fuels (e.g., E10, E15, E85) contain ethanol. However, much less is known about what effect this bio-based ingredient can have on certain engine components.

Although gasoline and ethanol are flammable liquids, they have different chemical properties and compositions. When mixed, they can react to form new compounds that can be corrosive.

One of the reasons why a mixture of gasoline and ethanol is corrosive is that ethanol has the ability to absorb moisture from the environment and add it to gasoline. This water can react with metal components in the fuel system and cause corrosion. In addition, newly formed compounds can tend to form deposits and accumulate on the walls of the fuel system, which can lead to further corrosion and clogging of filters and nozzles.

Ethanol can oxidize to acetaldehyde and acetic acid, which can damage and etch some engine components. Mixing gasoline with ethanol can lead to the formation of alkenes, which are unstable and can react with metal components of the fuel system.

They will easily etch the protective layer of the carburetor's float chamber, for example, and the water that the ethanol absorbs from the air will then finish the work of destruction, as you can see in the photo below:

Thus, the carburetor may end up with untreated fuel with ethanol in it for several months.

In addition, ethanol can release plasticizers from plastics. This can be a problem for various gaskets, carburetor diaphragms, plastic fuel lines, etc. These materials become brittle and thus more susceptible to damage.

Finally, ethanol under certain conditions can also form deposits that can clog the entire fuel system.

Unfortunately, carburetors of all types and brands are subject to gradual damage from ethanol...

How to prevent ethanol from damaging your fuel system?
First of all, always use only fresh fuel in which the ethanol has not yet absorbed water and degenerated into aggressive compounds.

The easiest way is to drain the fuel whenever the machine is not in use. It is not enough to drain the fuel from the tank, it is important to drain the fuel from the carburetor as well. If the carburetor does not have a bleeder screw, start the engine and let it run until it burns off any residual fuel from the carburetor and shuts down.

Use the right fuel additives. They can minimize the negative effects of biocomponents contained in gasoline on the carburetor. For example, these additives can help remove moisture from the fuel and protect metal parts of the carburetor from corrosion.

Of course, it would be best to use only ethanol-free fuels, but they are not available everywhere