Technology: Do you already put alkylate gasoline in your tank?
Regular unleaded gasoline from the gas station is a mixture of about 350 different fuel molecules. The best known are benzene, toluene, aromatics, olefins and sulfur. These substances are a burden on the environment and the user. They are carcinogenic and cause nervous system disorders.
A synthetic process (alkylation) produces pure gasoline that consists of barely 10 fuel molecules. Harmful substances are hardly present. This is a very expensive process, which partly justifies the higher cost price. Alkylate gasolines provide cleaner combustion, resulting in less smoke and less soot formation in the combustion chamber. This benefits the lifespan of the machine.
How is alkylate gasoline made?
In the well-known cracking plants of oil refineries, the excess gases released during refining are used for alkylation. That means it is pressured to join molecules together. By combining gaseous butane molecules, a very pure liquid is created. Alkylate is one of the cleanest petroleum products that can be produced. Alkylate gasoline consists of up to ten different components, while regular gasoline can consist of up to 350 different components. There are only a few refineries in the world capable of producing alkylate gasoline.
The advantages
In addition to the much less harmful emissions, the use of alkylate gasoline provides extremely clean combustion. The piston of a two-stroke or four-stroke engine remains spectacularly clean at the top and shows no carbon deposits. In other words: the inside of the engine literally remains “squeaky clean”. Another important advantage is that this gasoline can be stored for years without deteriorating. Petrol from the pump contains bio-ethanol, the negative property of which is that this additive draws moisture from the ambient air and thus contaminates the fuel with water. This moisture leaves a sediment in the carburetor that will prevent the engine from starting after a long winter. Alkylate gasoline gives your engine a small increase in maximum power, better pulling power at the bottom, more power at the top and no detonation in mid and high revs.
Aspen, Motomix and Ecomaxx
The best-known brands are undoubtedly Aspen and Motomix. You can buy these fuels at your garden center and they are used for your gas-guzzling garden equipment such as lawn mowers, brush cutters and the like. They produce less smoke and that is important for the user who has to work with the machines. There has also been an alkylate gasoline in the motocross world for some time. This is marketed under the name Ecomaxx. The stuff is available as ready-made 2-stroke fuel with a mixing ratio of 1:30.
Four-stroke riders can also enjoy the qualities of alkylate gasoline because there is also a 4-stroke variant with exactly the same benefits. Motocross riders no longer have to pre-mix or think about using this gasoline. And your engine remains brand new on the inside. For example, consider the power valve on a two-stroke. It continues to work perfectly in all circumstances and no longer requires disassembly to clean. You can also hibernate four-stroke and two-stroke engines without having to drain the tank and carburetor. This type of gasoline has a different smell than that of your gas station around the corner, but it is less penetrating. For example, if you spill alkylate gasoline on your pants, the smell will completely disappear after fifteen minutes.
The cons
Alkylate gasoline is not cheap, but if you consider the benefits, this type of gasoline deserves its place in your garage. In any case, your engine will start a lot smoother, less maintenance is required and the two-stroke crossers still have to add oil to their "pump gasoline". And some will also mix in additives such as octane booster, which makes the price difference a lot smaller. Motocross riders are also becoming more environmentally conscious, which suddenly makes the choice seem a lot easier. Furthermore, the fuel has nothing but advantages. In the coming months, MXMag will be testing this type of fuel in their first project engine. That is why we would like to discuss this item in more detail later.
Photos: archive, Ecomaxx and Aspen
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