A consortium of leading organizations from the recreational marine industry recently completed more than four years of testing renewable isobutanol in marine engines. Thousands of hours of testing showed that gasoline-isobutanol blends of up to 1
6.1% can be used in marine engines without deterioration of engine or boat performance. The tests were performed in collaboration with the National Marine Manufacturers Assn. (NMMA), the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and several engine and boat manufacturers across the industry. The project was also supported by The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).
The consortium tested many engine technologies from several engine and boat manufacturers, and included measurements of gaseous and particulate engine exhaust emissions, combustion analysis, cold start, run ability, durability and more. No engine exhaust emissions failures, durability issues or run ability issues were experienced during the multi-year test program.
Marine manufacturers have been on the front lines of the E10 and E15 ethanol issues along with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute for years. The isobutanol for the test as provided by Gevo, which operates a biorefinery in Texas. In 2011, Gevo provided isobutanol for a Briggs & Stratton engine test project that showed the fuel was a quality additive that did not harm small engine performance or components.