WHITBY FREE PRESS, Durham Moves, JANUARY 20, 1988, PAGE A3 :$1 Ethanol-Plus. unleaded gas launched in Ontario From the winter 1987 edition of Cornerstone, a Co-op publication Ethanol-Plus is one new and in- novative - venture for UCO. Basically* it is unleaded. gasoline containing ethanol and methanol. And this çthanol cornes fromn corn produced by Ontario farmers. UCO launched Ethanol-Plus during October at its gas bars in Guelph and Listowel. The new fuel consists of a minimum of 92' per cent gasoline, and a maximum of three per cent ethanol, and five per cent methanol. The Co-op is breaking new ground in Ontario with Ethanol- Plus. This is the first such fuel to be marketed in the province. And, by going beyond its usual markets, by thinking laterally and seizing op- portunities, UCO has opened up several ways for members to benefit: -If ethanol becomes a com- ponent (at this rataQ) of ail gas soid in. Ontario, 961,000 tonnes of grain would be used annually -that's a pretty sizeable new market for On- tario growers. -The facilities needed to process ail this ethanol could aid economic deveiopment in rural Ontario and would create an estimate 7,750 new jobs.. -The by-products of ethanol are distillers' grains and solubles (DDGS) -valuable feed sup- plements with international market potential. -An environmentally safer fuel which works better than traditional gasoline would be available to con- sumners. -Ethanol is*a-renewable resour- ce which could ease the stress on diminishing crude oul reserves. Support for ethanol production is strong. For example, Noble Villeneuve, MPP and PC critic for agriculture, said "We know there are other industries bidding. to replace leaded gas once Ottawa's tougher standards corne into effect. USED CAR CLEAROUT 85 OIds Cierra 4 dr., auto, p.s., p.b., two tone paint. Stk. No. 139A 85 Honda Civic 4 dr., red, 5 spd., p.s., p.b., AMI FM stereo, gas saver. Stk. No. 351A 85 Omni SE silver, 5 spd., p.s., p.b., console AMIFM stereo, sport seats, 10w kms., mint cond.* Stk. No. 379A 84 Pontiac 6000 LE brown, loaded witfl extras. Stk. No. 156A 84 Chevette 4 dr., red, 4 spd., AMIFM cass., mint cond. Stk. No. 365A 79 Camaro blue, auto, p.s., p.b., excellent cond., one owner. Stk. No. 189A No reasonable offer refused! Financing available. The ethanol component of E-M gas will, give us a replaceable, home- grown source of fuel energy which doesn't have to be imported. " UCO is involved in this emerging technology primarily because it has- such potential for our mem- bers. *UCO's vice president of petroleum, Glen Perschbacher, said "We have limited influence over ethanol's market acceptance or it production techology, but we can play an active role in promoting a fair assessment of its potential as an octane replacement. "To that end, our objective in the test marketing program is to *determine consumer acceptance of unleaded gasoline containing ethanol first, through the sales at our gas bars. Next year' we'll look at delivering Ethanol-Plus to farm customer storage tanks." Gain ing acceptan ce. Gas/alcohol mixes havé gained momentum in the U.S., but to date have made littie headway in Canada. Introduced 'in - 1980, fuel ethanol now accounta for over 700 million gallons of production south of the' border. Americans use more ethanol in'their cars than Canada uses gasoline!:* The current UCO test program is being conducted in co-operation with Aberta Gas Chemicals Ltd., supplyinig the methanol; St. Lawrence Starch Ltd., the ethanol producer; and Sunoco Inc. which handies gasoline supply, blending, and quality control. Ethanol,* or ethyl alcohol, cari be distilled from various crops with corn being especially cost - effec- tive. Inferior quality crops can be good feedstock for the production of ethyl alcohol. Full-scale ethanol production would utilize, most of Ontario's current and future surplus agricultural production* without significantly depleting food reser- ves. The production process can in- crease the available protein, crude fiber and oils up to three times. Research is now underway to turn these distîllers' grains and solubles into high quality protein sources for human food. Ethanol and methanol are ex- cellent high octane fuels. The phasing out of lead in traditional gasoline, due to environmental concerns, has created a need for a safe way to improve octane (the an- ti-knock property). Ethanol will bost octane from one to two points,: and car manufacturers could in-, crease the efficiency of car engines to utilize the increased octane. Ethanol-Plus is a clean-burning fuel. This 'not only means fewer deposita on the car's engine life, reduced run-on and smoother ac- celeration. And the lower emissions mean a reduction in pollution equivalent to-1 taking one car in five off the roads - providing ail cars used the blended Aohrfeatureof the fuel is that it preventa gas line freeze-up. That's because the alcohols eliminate condensation in the fuel tank and drivers couldn't have to worry and fuss about putting gas line antifreeze in the tank. Switching over to ethanol fuels in a big way would have a significant impact on our energy supplies, decreasing our dependence on crude oil. If ail Canadian gas was blended with alcohol, we would conserve the equivalent of 40,000 barrels of light crude oul a day. And if the octane of. the gasoline blend was lowered to compensate for the boost from ethanol fuel, savings at the refinery of 88,000 to 150,000 BTU per barrel of oil would also resuit. Canada-wide production of methanol and ethanol would con- sume 40 billion cubic feet of abun- dant natural gas and provide a market for over 2 million tonnes of Canadian cereal grains. But it won't be expensive. During the test period, UCO plans tooffer Ethanol-Plus -in lune with the regular unleaded'price while iden- tifying customers perception of ex- tra value. Future price policy will depend upon market acceptance, cost of production and any gover- nment programs. Initial reaction was very en- couraging as the traffic at the Ethanol-Plus pumps' was higher than anticipated. The first batch was sold out in less than two weeks. During the second week, total volumes of gasoline pumped at the gas bars increased by more than 20 per cent and 70-8D per c ent of the customers who purchase regular unleaded tried Ethanol-Plus. The beauty of Ethanol-Plus is that no changes to your car's engine are required to use it and you can switch back and forth without problem. 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