Deweyville station a pioneer in ethanol-free gasoline

The community of Deweyville can boast they are the first in the area to have an ethanol-free filling station.

The Deweyville Conoco on Highway 12, more specifically, has been selling the 100 percent ethanol-free gasoline to the public since September according to manager, Malik Keshwani.

“It’s been a benefit to all the customers. They use it in their cars, boat motors and small engines. Smaller vehicle engines have been messed up by ethanol fuel. It (ethanol-free gasoline) gives drivers an extra three to four gallons per mile,” Keshwani said.

According to the website ehow.com, ethanol is a type of renewable fuel that is designed to reduce pollution and greenhouse emissions. Ethanol is an alternative fuel source that is made from corn and other types of grains.

Ethanol fuel does not pollute ground water, and it supports the farming industry and reduces dependency on foreign oil. However, the alternative energy source does have some glaring disadvantages when compared with gasoline:

Cost

Gasoline is less expensive than using ethanol, and retrofitting a vehicle with an ethanol system can be quite expensive. Using ethanol as a form of fuel may not be cost effective, because drivers can’t just use ethanol in a regular engine. Most regular engines are unable to handle ethanol, as the fuel burns much hotter than gasoline. If drivers try and use ethanol in a regular engine, it can cause significant damage to the engine and vehicle. Gasoline is also more efficient then ethanol, as more ethanol is needed to produce the same performance results as gasoline. This requires drivers to purchase more ethanol and spend more at the pump.

Production

While the oil produced to make gasoline is very environmentally friendly, it does come in direct conflict with food production. If ethanol becomes more widely used around the world, the production of ethanol may have a direct effect on the production of corn in developing countries. While drilling for oil is not environmentally friendly, it is not in direct conflict with the production of food. In many countries, only so much land is available for farm production, and using ethanol as a primary source of fuel may be a disadvantage.

Keshwani added corn does not burn well at a high temperature such as a car engine as gasoline does.

“People from Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange and others come here to fill up. Some fill up their gas cans and take it with them. We also have an ethanol-free Conoco in Jasper,” he said.

The station began selling ethanol-free gasoline after customers made numerous inquiries, Keshwani said.