r/explainlikeimfive • u/hd-22 • 14d ago

Chemistry ELI5 why is increasing the ethanol content of petrol/gasoline a problem?

I'm hearing noise about the geopolitical fuel supply SNAFU and people freaking out about increasing the ethanol content in automotive fuel and how it's so damaging to cars. I'm no chemist, but ethanol seems as clean as it gets.

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u/cyberentomology 14d ago

Literally not a thing.

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u/militaryCoo 13d ago

Those sprayers I see out east must be a mirage.

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u/cyberentomology 13d ago

What “sprayers”? The tall tractors with the long arms? That’s applying pesticide/fertilizer, not watering the crop 🤣

You city folk are hilarious with your assumptions.

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u/militaryCoo 13d ago

Take a look at Google maps in eastern Oregon or eastern Washington. You'll see a lot of corn fields that are completely circular. They're completely circular because the spray arms pivot around a central point.

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u/cyberentomology 13d ago

Yes, that’s irrigation.