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Methanol Fuel: The Non-Fossil Fuel

Methanol Beaker

You can use Methanol in place of gasoline! Or cut down the amount of gasoline you use right now by using it as an additive!

It is an alternative fuel that can be made without using traditional fossil fuels and you can use it in most internal combustion engines (that match certain qualifications).

Check out what's available!



How Can Methanol Be Used?

This fuel has a somewhat limited use for powering internal combustion engines. This is because it is not as flammable as gasoline. It is a fuel that only burns with one-eighth the heat that gasoline requires - and it is therefore harder to ignite (especially on cold mornings).

You see this fuel used today in its purer form in the racing industry - Champcars, USAC sprint cars, and other dirt track series like World of Outlaws. This is because it creates very little smoke and no visible flame to obstruct the view of other drivers on the track if a wreck occurs.

Methanol is also used in radio control and free flight model airplanes. Its use is required in "glow-plug" engines like those used on model airplanes in order for them to meet specification.

If you'd like more specific information on how you can use methanol, check out the American Methanol Institute website at www.methanol.org It serves as the voice of the methanol industry to support the use of clean reformulated and oxygenated gasolines, promote the use of this fuel as an alternative fuel, and encourage the development of fuel cells that can be powered by it.

Where Do I Find It?

Here are SOME of the locations we managed to find in the U.S. where this fuel might possibly be obtained (You may want to contact them and ask them about what they have available):

Wolf Oil
444 Kettle Morraine Dr
Slinger, WI
(262) 644-5030

Hole Shot Engineering
6584 50th Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 546-3541

Bradenton Motorsport Park
21000 S.R. 64
Bradenton, FL 34202
(941) 748-1320
www.bradentonmotorsports.com

Corrigan Oil Company
744 East South Street
Jackson, MI 49203
(517) 937-4061
Salesman: Steve

NVR Racing
5161 N 124th St
Butler, WI 53007
(262) 781-5252

Socal Performance
9723 Washburn Road
Downey, CA 90241
(562) 862-9122

AAI Racing
5985 Lamar
Arvada, CO 80003
(303) 422-3571

E&R Automotive Machine
205 W. North Ave.
Villa Park, IL
(630) 279-5464
www.enrracing.com

Lanier's Speed Shop
106 Pueblo Av
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 633-1378

McMurtry's Automotive
3204 B. Ave.
Gulfport, MS. 39507
(228) 863-4139

Smiley's Racing
2017 Peachtree Rd.
Balch Springs, TX 75180

ERC Racing Fuel
610 East Lewelling Blvd
San Lorenzo, CA 94580
(510) 276-9334

Houston Raceway Park
2525 FM 565 South
Baytown, TX

New England Racing Fuel
John Holland / Mike Joy
271 Spielman Highway
Burlington, CT 06013
(860) 673-9555

Teegarden Motorsports Specialties
3501 sunrise blvd. #8
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
(916)631-7440

VP Racing
PO Box 3202
Terre Haute, IN 47803
(812) 232-7253

Briner Oil Co.
325 Beck St.
Jonesville, Michigan 49250
(517) 849-2144
fax.517-849-2143

Cox Oil CO.
555 E 8th St.
Greeley, CO 80631
(970) 352-9208
(800) 660-2604

Teegarden Motorsports Specialties
11383 Pyrites Way
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
(916) 638-7223 (RACE)
Fax: (916) 638-2885

Craig Caulk Racing Heads
115 Avenue D
South Houston, TX 77587
(713) 947-6787

Simons Petroleum
Industrial Road
Clarksville, AR

Don's Hot Rod Shop
2811 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85705
(602) 884-8892

Grand Prix Auto Sports
Tulsa, OK
(918) 836-8487

Conley's Performance Plus
1443-A Aldine Bender
Houston, TX 77032

Also check out www.biodieselmethanol.org They have a blog setup for allowing sellers and buyers to connect with each other more easily.

What Is It?
Very simply, it is methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits and is very similar in make-up to ethanol.

It was first produced from pyrolysis of wood, resulting in its common English name - wood alcohol. Today, it is usually produced using methane (the chief by-product of natural gas) as a raw material.

When methanol burns in air it forms carbon dioxide and water:

2 CH3OH + 3 O2 → 2 CO2 + 4 H2O

**The flame from this fuel is almost colorless when it burns. Care should be exercised around burning this fuel to avoid burning oneself on the almost invisible flame made by it. It is also VERY toxic and should not come in contact with the skin or be ingested.



If you would like another alternative to using gasoline, methanol is certainly something that can serve as a replacement and can be run in most internal combustion engines.

We invite you to try it and investigate it as something YOU can use in place of gasoline! Contact some of the distributors above if you'd like to start using this fuel yourself.

Also, make sure you follow all safety procedures with handling this substance, as it can be harmful or fatal if contacted.

The world is just starting to wake up to the possibilities of using this fuel in place of gasoline and other fossil fuels. Maybe you too can be a part of this growing trend to change the way we operate!

Since it can be made in similar fashion to ethanol, it can allow us to create energy from other substances and no longer rely on fossil fuel for our need for energy, both now and far into the future.

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