ETHANOL

European Automobile
Manufacturers Association
Avenue des Nerviens 85
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 732 55 50
Fax: +32 2 738 73 10

GUIDELINES
www.acea.be

Alliance of
Automobile Manufacturers
1401 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 900
Washington D.C., 20005
Tel: 1 (202) 326-5500
Fax: 1 (202) 326-5568
MARCH 2009 www.autoalliance.org

Engine Manufacturers
Association

From the Two North LaSalle Street, Suite 1700

Chicago IL, 60602
Main Telephone: 1 (312) 827-8700

Worldwide Fuel Charter Facsimile: 1 (312) 827-8737

www.enginemanufactures.org

Committee
Japan Automobile
Manufacturers Association
Jidosha Kiakan
1-30, Shiba Daimon 1-Chome
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0012 Japan
Tel: +81-3-5405-6125
Fax: +81-3-5405-6136
For copies, please visit the association websites. www.japanauto.com

 European Automobile Alliance of Automobile Engine Manufacturers Japan Automobile
Manufacturers Association Manufacturers Association Manufacturers Association

March2009
Subject:WorldwideBiofuelsHarmonisation
DearEthanolGuidelinesRecipient:
Onbehalfofautomobileandenginemanufacturersfromaroundtheworld,wearepleasedtopresentthisFirst
EditionofEthanolGuidelinesfromtheWorldwideFuelCharter(WWFC)Committee.WecreatedtheWWFCin
1998topromotegreaterunderstandingoftheimpactoffuelqualityonengineandmotorvehicleemissionsand
performanceandtopromoteharmonizationoffuelqualityworldwideinaccordancewithengineandvehicle
needsindifferentmarkets.
RapidgrowthintheuseofethanolandbiodieselhaspromptedtheWWFCCommitteetoaddresstheneedfor
moreinformationabouttheseimportantrenewablefuels.Aswithconventionalgasolineanddieselfuel,biofuel
qualitymustmatchtheneedsandcapabilitiesofengineandvehicletechnologies,especiallyasthesetechnologies
becomemoreadvancedtomeetultracleanemissionstandards.Thisdocumentprovidesourguidanceonethanol
quality;acompaniondocumentprovidesguidanceonbiodieselquality.
Giventhewidevariationinperformanceandmeasurementmethodsofbiofuelblendsatdifferentblendlevels,
theseguidancedocumentsfocusonthequalityoftheblendstockusedtomakefinishedbiofuelblends,ratherthan
onthefinishedfuelsthemselves.Specifically,wecreatedthisdocumenttoguideblenderswhoproduceanduse
100%ethanolandgasolineblendstockstomakefinished10%ethanolblends.Theresultingfinishedfuelsshould
continuetomeettherecommendationscontainedintheWWFCforthevariouscategoriesofmarketfuels.
Theuseofethanolandbiodieselfuelsisimportanttohelpextendsuppliesofgasolineanddieselfuel.As
renewablefuels,theyhavethepotentialtohelpreduceemissionsofgreenhousegases.Properformulationalso
canhelpassureloweremissionsofconventionalpollutants.Thekeytoachievinglowemissionsistosustainably
producegoodqualityblendstocksandtoblendanddistributethefinishedfuelsinawaythatpreservestheir
qualitywhentheyreachtheconsumer.
Thisdocumentrepresentsourbestcollectivejudgmentatthistime,basedonexperiencewithethanolproduced
fromconventionalfeedstocks,suchascornandsugarcane,andaidedbycommentsfrominterestedparties.We
recognizethattechnicalinformationwillcontinuetoevolve,sothisdocumentwillalsochangeovertimeaswe
learnmore.Weappreciatetheeffortsofthosewhoprovidedinformationandcomments,andweareespecially
gratefultothosewhoexpressedsupportforthisendeavor.
Welookforwardtoworkingwithyoutosupportthedevelopmentanduseofhighqualityrenewablefuelsforthe
benefitofconsumersandtheenvironmentworldwide.

IvanHodac DaveMcCurdy JedR.Mandel YoshiyasuNao
SecretaryGeneral President&CEO President President
ACEA Alliance EMA JAMA
ListofMembers
ACEAmembercompanies
BMWGroup,DAFTrucksNV,DaimlerAG,FiatS.p.A.,FordofEuropeGmbH,GeneralMotorsEuropeAG,MAN
NutzfahrzeugeAG,PorscheAG,PSAPeugeotCitron,RenaultSA,ScaniaAB,ToyotaMotorEurope,
VolkswagenAG,ABVolvo.

Alliancemembercompanies
BMWofNorthAmerica,ChryslerLLC,FordMotorCompany,GeneralMotorsCorporation,JaguarLandRover,
MazdaNorthAmericanOperations,MercedesBenzUSA,MitsubishiMotorSalesofAmerica,Inc.,PorscheCars
NorthAmerica,Inc.,ToyotaMotorNorthAmerica,Inc.,VolkswagenGroupofAmerica.

EMAmembercompanies
AmericanHondaMotorCo.,Inc.,Briggs&StrattonCorporation,CaterpillarInc.,ChryslerLLC,CNHGlobalN.V.,
CumminsInc.,DaimlerTrucksNorthAmericaLLC,Deere&Company,DeutzCorporation,DresserWaukesha,
FiatPowertrainTechnologiesS.p.A,FordMotorCompany,GeneralMotorsCorporation,HinoMotors,Ltd.,
IsuzuManufacturingServicesofAmerica,Inc.,KohlerCompany,KomatsuLtd.,KubotaEngineAmerica
Corporation,MTUDetroitDiesel,Inc.,Navistar,Inc.,OnanCumminsPowerGeneration,PACCARInc,Scania
CVAB,VolkswagenGroupofAmerica,Inc.,VolvoPowertrainCorporation,WrtsilNorthAmerica,Inc.,
YamahaMotorCorporation,YanmarAmericaCorporation

JAMAmembercompanies
DaihatsuMotorCo.Ltd.,FujiHeavyIndustriesLtd.,HinoMotorsLtd.,HondaMotorCo.Ltd.,IsuzuMotors
Limited,KawasakiHeavyIndustriesLtd.,MazdaMotorCorporation,MitsubishiFusoTruckandBus
Corporation,MitsubishiMotorsCorporation,NissanDieselMotorCo.Ltd.,NissanMotorCo.Ltd.,Suzuki
MotorCorporation,ToyotaMotorCorporation,YamahaMotorCo.Ltd.

Associatemembers
AssociationofInternationalAutomobileManufacturers(AIAM)
AssociationofInternationalAutomotiveManufacturersofCanada(AIAMC)
AssociacionMexicanadelaIndustriaAutomotriz,A.C.(AMIA)
BrazilianAssociationofmotorvehicleandmotorisedagriculturalmachinerymanufacturers(ANFAVEA)
CanadianVehicleManufacturersAssociation(CVMA)
ChamberofAutomotiveManufacturersofthePhilippines,Inc.(CAMPI)
ChinaAssociationofAutomobileManufacturers(CAAM)
IndonesiaAutomotiveFederation(IAF)
KoreaAutomobileManufacturersAssociation(KAMA)
NationalAssociationofAutomobileManufacturersofSouthAfrica(NAAMSA)
MalaysianAutomotiveAssociation(MAA)
ThaiAutomotiveIndustryAssociation(TAIA)
VietnamAutomobileManufacturersAssociation(VAMA)

Supportingorganisation:
OrganisationInternationaledesConstructeursdAutomobiles(OICA)

ii
Acronyms
ABNTNBR AssociaoBrasileiradeNormasTcnicas(BrazilianStandardsNumber)
ACEA AssociationdesConstructeursEuropensdAutomobiles(Europeanautomotive
manufacturersassociation)
Alliance AllianceofAutomobileManufactures
ASTM ASTMInternational(formerlyAmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials)
C2C5 Monoalcoholwithtwotofivecarbonatoms
C3C5 Monoalcoholwiththreetofivecarbonatoms
CCD CombustionChamberDeposits
CEN ComitEuropeandeNormalisation(EuropeanCommitteeforStandardization)
Cl Chlorineion
E10 10%ethanolblendedgasoline
EC EuropeanCommission
EMA EngineManufacturersAssociation
EN EuropeanNorm
ICP InductivelyCoupledPlasmaspectrometer
ISO InternationalOrganizationforStandardization
IVD IntakeValveDeposits
JAMA JapanAutomobileManufacturersAssociation
JAAS JapanAlcoholAssociationStandard
JIS JapaneseIndustrialStandards
Na+ Sodiumion
ppm partspermillion
prEN ProvisionalEuropeanNorm
SO42 Sulfate
S/m microSiemenspermeter
WWFC WorldwideFuelCharter

iii


CONTENTS

ListofMembers ............................................................................................. ii

Acronyms ..................................................................................................... iii

Introduction .................................................................................................. 1

GuidelinesforE100BlendstockforuseinuptoE10Blends............................... 2

SummaryofGuidelines .................................................................................. 9

SummaryofTestMethods ............................................................................ 11

iv
Introduction
ThepurposeoftheWorldwideFuelCharteristopromotehighqualityandharmonizedfuelsonaglobal
basis,consideringtheneedforoptimumengineandvehicleperformanceanddurabilityandforthe
cleanestpossibleoperationofengineandvehicletechnologies.Meetingtheseobjectiveswillbenefit
consumers,simplifyfuelmarkets,facilitatetradeandhelpgovernmentsmeetpublicpolicygoals.
Biofuelsareofparticularinteresttodayduetotheirpotentialtohelpreducetheuseofpetroleumbased
fuels,improveenergysecurityandreducegreenhousegasemissions.Ethanolisoneofthesefuelsthat
isviableandinusetodayasadirectgasolineadditiveaswellasafeedstockformakingethergasoline
additives.Otherpromisingrenewableblendstocksforgasolineincludebioethers(e.g.,ethanoltertiary
butylether(ETBE)andtertiaryamylethylether(TAEE))andbioalcohols(e.g.,biobutanol).Good
ethanolqualityisfundamentaltoitscontinuedsuccessasafuelaswellasafeedstockforotherfuel
additives.Theguidancepresentedherecontainsmanufacturerrecommendationsregardingtheethanol
qualityneededforproperengineandvehicleoperation.
Therecommendedlimitsarespecificallyestablishedforanhydrous100%ethanol(E100)blendstock
intendedforblendingwithpetroleumbasedgasolinetomakeablendcontainingamaximumof10%
ethanolbyvolume(E10)suitableforuseinvehicleswithsparkignitionengines.Higherlevelblends
(greaterthanE10)aresuitableforuseonlyinvehiclesdesignedforsuchfuel,suchasflexiblefueled
vehicles,andethanolusedforhigherblendsmayrequiredifferentlimits.Thefinishedethanolgasoline
blends(upto10%ethanol),aswellasthefinishedpetroleumbasedgasoline,shouldcontinuetomeet
therequirementsoftheappropriategasolinecategoryintheWorldwideFuelCharter.
Theseguidelinesarebasedonengineandvehiclemanufacturerexperiencewithethanolfuelsmade
fromfeedstockscommonlyusedtodayinvariousmarketsaroundtheworld(e.g.,cornandsugarcane).
Theguidelinesareperformancebasedandfeedstockneutral.
Ethanolfuelblendsmusthaveuniformpropertiesthroughouttoensureaconsistentquality.Highspeed
injectionblendingisgenerallypreferredtosplashblendingasameanstoensureuniformquality
throughoutthefinalfuelblend.Localregulationsmayrequirecertainadditives(e.g.,U.S.denaturant
requirements).Maintaininggoodfuelqualityrequiresgoodhousekeepingpracticesthroughout
production,distribution,blendingandstorage.Allpartieshandlingethanolanditsblendsshouldwatch
forcondensationandphaseseparation;fuelcontaminatedwithwatershouldnotbesoldtoconsumers.
Blendersandretailersareadvisedtochangefiltersregularly.
Ethanolgasolineblends,especiallythoseabove10%ethanol,mustbeproperlylabeledatthedispenser
toenabletheconsumertodeterminethefuelscompatibilitywiththeengineorvehiclemanufacturers
fuelrecommendationsandwarrantystatements.Thisguidanceincludessuggestionsforpumplabeling,
tohelpinformmarketersaboutthetypeofinformationneededandtoencouragemarketuniformity.
EngineandvehiclemanufacturerswillcontinuetoevaluatetheseGuidelinesforongoingapplicabilityto
increasinglysophisticatedvehiclesystemsandcomponents,whichmustcomplywithnumerous
governmentregulations.TheWWFCCommitteewillreviewandrevisetheserecommendationsas
necessarytoreflectchangesinengineandvehicletechnologies,ethanolproductionandmarketing
practicesandtestmethods.

1
GuidelinesforE100BlendstockforuseinuptoE10Blends

Property Value Units Testmethods 1

EthanolplusC3C5 99.2min %m/m EN15721
saturatedalcohols ASTMD5501
(anhydrous) Other:JAAS0016.2

C3C5saturated 2max %m/m EN15721

alcohols(anhydrous)

Methanol 0.5max %m/m EN15721

ASTMD5501

EthanoltoC5SaturatedAlcohols(anhydrous)
Thisrecommendedlimit,whichappliestoanhydrousethanol,isameasureofqualitythatshouldbe
viewedtogetherwithmethanolandwaterlimits.Itisanacceptablelimitforlowerlevelethanolblends;
aminimumof99.5%v/visrecommended,however,forblendsbetweenE5andE10.
Somecountriesrequireproducerstodenaturetheethanolbeforeitcanentercommerceasa
transportationfuelorblendstock;blendersshouldfollowlocalrulesregardingtheconcentrationand
typeofdenaturant.Blendersshouldreviewcomponentsifthenonethanolcomponentscomprisemore
than5%ofthevolumeoftheethanolblendstock.Blendersshouldmatchtherecommendedlimittothe
testmethodused.
C3C5SaturatedAlcohols(anhydrous)
Thesealcoholsusuallyenterthefuelethanolasproductionbyproductsandarelimitedasawayto
controlthepurityoftheethanol.
Methanol
Fermentationprocessescanproducesmallamountsofmethanol,andsomecountriesrequireasmall
amountasadenaturant,butmethanolhasharmfuleffectssoitshouldbeminimized.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
WhentestingbyISOmethods,theethanolshouldmeetthespecifiedlimitsbeforeanydenaturantis
added,recognizingthatabuyermayhavedifficultyverifyingthelimitwheretheethanolhasbeen
previouslydenatured.
Problemsmayoccurwhenmeasuringhigheralcoholsifgasolineisusedasadenaturant.

1
WhentestingbyISOmethods,thelimitshallapplytoundenaturedethanol.Unlessotherwisenoted,theCENtestmethods
havebeenshowntoapplytoethanolinaninterlaboratorytestprogramme:EthanolTestMethodsInterlaboratoryStudy,
CEN/TC19/WG27,ElementalAnalysisofPetroleumProducts,availablefromNEN,P.O.Box5059,NL2600GBDelft,The
Netherlands.Precisiondatafromtheprogrammeareincorporatedintothetestmethod.

2
Water 0.3max %m/m EN15489
ASTME203
JISK8101

Waterinthefuelcanpromotecorrosionandmicrobialgrowth.Watercanenterethanolduring
productionandthroughcondensationduringthefuelsdistributionandstorage.Ifthewatercontentis
toohigh,phaseseparationmayoccurafterblendingwithgasoline.Undissolvedwaterinthefuelline
cancausetheenginetorununevenlyorstall.
Addingethanoltogasolinechangestheamountofwaterthatcanbecontainedinthegasolinemixture
withoutseparating,sincethethreecomponents(gasoline,waterandethanol)havedifferentsolubilities.
Ethanoldissolvesinbothgasolineandwater,butwaterdoesnotdissolveinneatgasolineexceptin
minuteamounts.Thismeansthatgasolineethanolblendswillallowmorewaterinthefuelmixture,
therebyincreasingthepotentialforcorrosionandmicrobialgrowth.Italsomeansthatphase
separationwilloccurmorereadilyatlowerethanollevelsinthegasolineblend.Thewaterlimitwas
selectedforproblemfreevehicleoperationevenatlowlevelethanolblendrates(forexample,ator
below5%byvolume),consideringhandlinganddistributionpracticesaswellasthepotentialfor
additionalmixinginthevehicletank.Temperaturealsoplaysarole,sowhereregionalconditions
permit,ahigherlevelofwater,upto0.7%m/m,isallowed.
Indeterminingthebestwaytohandlefuelethanol,blendersanddistributorsshouldconsiderthe
ethanolspurityandlocalhumiditylevels.Theyshouldstrivetominimizewatercontentthroughout
distributionthroughcarefulhandlingandgoodhousekeeping.Thepresenceofwaterindicatesaneed
toimproveethanolhandlingpractices,suchasbyaddinganitrogensealtothestoragetank.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
RegardingEN15489,acrosscheckvalidationmayshowthataKarlFischervolumetricmethodalso
applies.

Density report kg/m3 ASTMD4052

Other:ABNTNBR5992

Densityisameasureofthequalityoftheblendstock.Fuelethanolshouldbecomprisedalmostentirely
ofethanolmolecules,soitsdensityshouldapproximatethatofpureethanol.Adensitymeasurementis
alsoneededtoconvertmassresultstovolumetricresultsandtocorrectthevolumefortemperature.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
Densitymeasurementsareaccurateindicatorsofpurityonlyifthefuelethanolhasinsignificant
amountsofotheralcoholswithsimilardensity.

Electrical 500max S/m ASTMD1125

conductivity
JISK0130
Other:ABNTNBR10547

Electricalconductivitycorrelatescloselywiththeamountofmetallicionssuchaschloride,sulfate,
sodiumandironinthefuel.Ahigherelectricalconductivitymeansthefuelcontainsahigheramountof

3
corrosiveandmetallicionsthatpromotecorrosionandfailureinthevehiclefuellineandthatalsocause
injectordeposits.Thislimitisequivalentto5ppmforthesumofsodium,sulfateandchlorideions.

Relation between Conductivity and Total Ion

1000
Conductivity, uS/m 500

100

10

1
1 10 100 1000 10000

Ion (Na+ + SO42- + Cl-), ug/kg

Data : Japan Alcohol Association

Notesregardingtestmethods:
Newmethodsareunderdevelopment.

Inorganicchloride 10.0max mg/l EN15484orEN15492

ASTMD7319,D7328
Other:ABNTNBR10894/10895

Inorganicchlorideisextremelycorrosiveandcorrodesmetalsinvehiclefuellines,evenatlowlevelsof
contamination.Thislimitwasselectedforethanolintendedforblendingintogasolinebutamore
stringentlimitwouldbeneededforethanolusedatessentiallyneatlevels.
Controllingelectricalconductivitywillhelpminimizethepresenceofchlorideion.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
Interlaboratorytestinghasfailedtoshowstatisticaldifferencesinprecisionatthespecifiedlevelsin
casesofdisagreementbetweentheresultsofEN15484andEN15492.

Sulfate 4max mg/kg EN15492

ASTMD7318,D7319,D7328
Other:ABNTNBR10894/12120

Sulfateisverycorrosiveandwillcorrodemetalsinthevehiclesfuelsystem,evenatlowlevelsof
contamination.Sulfatealsopromotesdepositsoninjectors.Controllingelectricalconductivitywillhelp
minimizethepresenceofsulfate.Amaximumlimitof1mg/kgisrecommendedforfinishedblends.

4
Copper 0.100max mg/kg EN15488
(ppm)
ASTMD1688modified,MethodA
JISK0101
Other:ABNTNBR10893

Metalsaccelerateoxidizationoffuelsandpromoteinjectordeposits.Ethanolproductioninmaterials
madewithcoppermaycausethemetaltobeintroducedintothefuel.Controllingelectrical
conductivitywillhelpminimizethepresenceofcopper.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
InductivelyCoupledPlasma(ICP)spectrometrycanbeusedtomeasurecopper,sodium,ironand
phosphorusinonetest.

Organicimpurities 10max mg/l JISJAAS0016.4

(1max) (%m/m)

Fornondenaturedethanol,thepresenceoforganicimpuritiesindicatescontamination.Thefuel
ethanolcanpickupcontaminationfromdirtytrucks(lorries),storagetanksandothervessels,andsuch
contaminationmayhurtvehicleoperation.Thetypeofhydrocarbonfoundshouldnotexceed10carbon
atoms(C10);additionalalcoholsandketonesalsoshouldnotbepresent.Blendersanddistributors
shouldtakeprecautionsandfollowlocalrulestolimithydrocarbonsandothersourcesofcontamination
duringdistribution.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
TheJAASmethodmeasuresalcoholsandketonesinadditiontononoxygenatedhydrocarbons.

Phosphorus 0.50max mg/l EN15487

ASTMD3231

Phosphorusmayenterethanolthroughplantuptakeofagriculturalchemicals.Phosphorusisapowerful
catalystpoisonandwillcauseexhaustemissionstoincrease.

Sulfur 10max mg/kgor EN15486 2

ppm
ASTMD5453(<20ppm)
JISK2541

Mostethanoldoesnotcontainsulfur,butcertainproductionmethodsmayintroducesulfurcompounds
intothefuel.Denaturingtheethanolwithahighsulfurgasolinewillalsoaddsulfur.Sulfurpoisons
catalysts,whichcausesexhaustemissionstoincrease.Asaresult,manygovernmentslimittheamount
ofsulfurintheethanoland/orthefinishedblendstoensurecompatibilitywithemissioncontrolsystems
andtomeetlocalemissionstandards.Regulatorsmayrequiretestingofbothethanolandthefinished
blend.

2
Thesemethodshavespecialprovisionsforethanolwhicharenotincorporatedintheusualpetroleumtestmethodssuchas
ENISO20846andENISO20884.

5
Notesregardingtestmethods:
ASTMD2622isanacceptablemethodforsamplescontainingmorethan20mg/kgsulfur.
EN15485,EN15486:Incasesofdisputeconcerningsulfurcontent,interlaboratorytestinghasnot
identifiedstatisticaldifferencesinprecisionatthespecifiedlevels.Thesemethodshavespecial
provisionsforethanolthatarenotincorporatedintotheusualpetroleumtestmethods(e.g.,ENISO
20846,PetroleumproductsDeterminationoflowsulfurcontentofautomotivefuelsUltraviolet
fluorescencemethod(ISO20846:2004)andENISO20884,PetroleumproductsDeterminationoflow
sulfurcontentofautomotivefuelsWavelengthdispersiveXrayfluorescencespectroscopy(ISO
20884:2004)).

Heavymetals Nondetectable;No Other:ICPAES

intentionaladdition

Fuelethanolshouldcontainnoheavymetals,whichpoisoncatalystsandcauseexhaustemissionsto
increase.Incaseofdenaturedethanol,thislimitmaybeunnecessary.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
AgeneralguideforperformingtraceelementanalysisbyICPcanbefoundinASTMD7260.

Nonvolatile 5max mg/100ml prEN15691

material*
ASTMD381
JISJAAS0016.3
Other:ABNTNBR8644

*Similartoevaporativeresidueandexistentunwashedgum.Seenotesregardingtestmethods,below.
Nonvolatilitymaterialmaycontainheavycomponentsthatresultfromcontaminationinthe
distributionsystem.Thesecomponentscontributetodeposits.
ForundenaturedE100,thislimitmaybeusedasanalternativetothelimitforexistentwashedgum.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
Thethreeproceduresdifferbutareessentiallytryingtomeasurethesameproperty,namely,the
residueremainingaftertheethanolisevaporated.TheUS(ASTMD381)andBrazilian(NBR8644)
proceduresaresimilar,buttheUSwashesthesamplewithheptaneandBrazilmeasuresunwashedgum.
TheEUprocedure(prEN15691),whichisstillindevelopmentanddesignedspecificallyforethanol
intendedforblendingwithgasoline,determinesthetotaldryresiduebyagravimetricmethod.Fornon
volatilesat10mg/100ml,theprecisionofthismethodisR=4.78;fornonvolatilesat20mg/100ml,the
precisionisR=5.48.TheJISmethod,whichiscommonlyusedtomeasurefoodethanol,hasexcellent
precision.
Forallthemethods,anappropriatesamplesizemustbeusedtoensureaccurateresults.

6
pHe 6.59 ASTMD6423

MethodsthatproducepHelikeresults

68 EN15490
JISJASOM3616.10
Other:ABNTNBR10891

ThepHevaluemeasuresacidityandalkalinity,bothofwhichcanincreasecorrosion.Ahighervalue
meansthefuelcontainsmorealkalinecomponents,andalowervaluemeansitcontainsmoreacidic
components.Avalueof7indicatesneutrality,andthefuelmustbeasclosetoneutralaspossible.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
ASTMD6423istheempiricalmethodthatdefinespHe.Regardingtheotherlistedmethodswhich
producepHelikeresults,notethatpHisnotdefinedfornonaqueoussolvents,andallpHlike
measurementsinnonaqueoussolventsarepurelyempiricalmeasurementsdefinedbythemeasuring
equipmentanddetailsofthetestprocedure.Asaconsequence,suchmethodsareexpectedtoreturn
differentresultsonthesamesample.ASTMmethodisunderreview.

Acidity(asacetic 0.007max %m/m EN15491

acid)
ASTMD1613
Other:ISO1388/2;ABNTNBR9866

Blendersmustlimittheacidityoftheethanolblendstocktocontroltheacidityinthefinishedgasoline
blend.

Appearance clearandbright,novisible Visualinspection

impurities

Fuelshouldbeclearinappearanceandfreeofvisiblewaterandsediment.Thepresenceofthese
materialsgenerallyindicatespoorfuelhandlingpractices.Waterandsedimentcanshortenfilterlifeor
plugfuelfilters,whichcanleadtoenginefuelstarvation.
Notesregardingtestmethods:
CENisworkingtodevelopamethodformeasuringappearance,alongwithethanolpurity,higher
saturated(C3,C5)monoalcoholcontentandmethanolcontent.

Color Visualinspection

Colormayvaryaccordingtolocalrules.
AdditionalProperties
ConsulttheWorldwideFuelCharterforrecommendedlimitsandtestmethodsforadditional
propertiessuchasoctaneandvolatilitythatrequirecontrolinthefinishedE10blend.

7
Notes
Denaturant
Limitsaredeterminedbynationalorlocalregulation.Wherealocalgovernmentrequiresproducersto
denaturethefuelethanol,theonlypermitteddenaturantsaregasoline(conformingtoEN228,ASTM
D4814orJISK2202);ethyltertbutylether(ETBE);methyltertbutylether(MTBE);tertbutylalcohol
(TBA);isobutanol(2methyl1propanol);andisopropanol(2propanol).Anyorallofthesedenaturants
maybeusedaloneortogether,exceptthatisobutanolandisopropanolseparateeasilyfromsolution,so
itisadvisabletousethemincombinationwithanotherdenaturant.Thefinalgasolineethanolblend
shouldalsomeetEN228,D4814orJISK2202.
GoodHousekeepingPractices
Giventheknownpotentialforethanoltoabsorbwater,suppliersshallensurethatwaterdoesnot
contaminatetheethanolfuelundertheexpectedrangeofclimaticandfueldistributionconditions.
AdditionalusefulinformationcanbefoundinGuidelinesForBlendingAndHandlingMotorGasoline
ContainingUpTo10%V/VEthanol,CONCAWE,ReportNo.3/08,April2008.
Labeling
Vehicleandenginemanufacturersdesigntheirproductsforcompatibilitywithdifferentconcentrations
ofethanol.Mostcurrentproductionvehicleswithsparkignitionenginesarecompatiblewithgasoline
containingupto10%ethanol;someinusevehiclesandengines,however,maybeincompatiblewith
thisblend.Checkownerguideformanufacturerrecommendations.Somemanufacturersoffervehicles
forusewithhighlevelethanolblends,suchasthosecontaining85%ethanol.Concernsaboutethanol
compatibilityandqualityincreaseastheethanolcontentincreases.TheWWFCrecommendsdispenser
labelingthatidentifiestheamountofethanolcontentandadvisestheconsumertocheckmanufacturer
recommendations.

8
SummaryofGuidelines
Property Value Units TestMethods
EthanolplusC3C5 99.2min %m/m EN15721
saturatedalcohols ASTMD5501
(anhydrous) Other:JAAS0016.2
C3C5saturated 2max %m/m EN15721
alcohols
(anhydrous)
Methanol 0.5max %m/m EN15721
ASTMD5501
Water 0.3max %m/m EN15489
ASTME203
JISK8101
Density report kg/m3 ASTMD4052
Other:ABNTNBR5992
Electricalconductivity 500max S/m ASTMD1125
JISK0130
Other:ABNTNBR10547
Inorganicchloride 10.0max mg/l EN15484orEN15492
ASTMD7319,D7328
Other:ABNTNBR10894/10895
Sulfate 4max mg/kg EN15492
ASTMD7318,D7319,D7328
Other:ABNTNBR10894/12120
Copper 0.100max mg/kg EN15488
(ppm) ASTMD1688modified,MethodA
JISK0101
Other:ABNTNBR10893
Organicimpurities 10max mg/l JISJAAS0016.4
(1max) (%m/m)
Phosphorus 0.50max mg/l EN15487
ASTMD3231
Sulfur 10max mg/kgor EN15486 3
ppm ASTMD5453(<20ppm)
JISK2541
Heavymetals Nondetectable;Nointentional Other:ICPAES
addition
Nonvolatilematerial 5max mg/100ml prEN15691
ASTMD381
JISJAAS0016.3
Other:ABNTNBR8644

3
Thesemethodshavespecialprovisionsforethanolwhicharenotincorporatedintheusualpetroleumtestmethodssuchas
ENISO20846andENISO20884.

9
Property Value Units TestMethods
pHe 6.59 ASTMD6423
pHelike 68 EN15490
JISJASOM3616.10
Other:ABNTNBR10891
Acidity(asaceticacid) 0.007max %m/m EN15491
ASTMD1613
Other:ISO1388/2;ABNTNBR9866
Appearance Clearandbright,no Visualinspection
visibleimpurities
Color localrequirement Visualinspection

10
SummaryofTestMethods
(seemaintextforadditionalnotes)
Property Units CEN/ISO 4 ASTM JIS Other
Ethanol+C3C5 JAAS0016.2
%m/m EN15721 D5501
(anhydrous) (C2C5)
C3C5saturatedalcohols
%m/m EN15721
(anhydrous)
Methanol %m/m EN15721 D5501
Water %m/m EN15489 E203 K8101
Density kg/m3 D4052 ABNT/NBR5992
ABNT/NBR
Electricalconductivity S/m D1125 K0130
10547
EN15484or D7319 ABNT/NBR
Inorganicchloride mg/l
EN15492 5 D7328 10894/10895
D7318
ABNT/NBR
Sulfate mg/kg EN15492 D7319
10894/12120
D7328
mg/kg D1688 ABNT/NBR
Copper EN15488 modified, K0101
(ppm) 10893
MethodA
mg/l
Organicimpurities JAAS0016.4
(or%m/m)
Phosphorus mg/l EN15487 D3231
mg/kgor D5453
Sulfur EN15486 6 K2541
ppm (<20ppm)
Heavymetals ICPAES 7
Nonvolatilematerial 8 mg/100ml prEN15691 D381 JAAS0016.3 ABNTNBR8644
pHe D6423
JASOM361 ABNTNBR
pHelike* EN15490*
6.10* 10891*
Acidity(asaceticacid) ISO1388/2
%m/m EN15491 D1613
ABNTNBR9866
Appearance visualinspection
Color visualinspection
*ResultsmaydiffersignificantlyfrompHe.

4
WhentestingbyISOmethods,theethanolbeforedenaturingshallmeetthelimitsspecified.Thetestmethodshavebeen
showntobeapplicabletoethanolinaninterlaboratorytestprogramme:EthanolTestMethodsInterlaboratoryStudy,
CEN/TC19/WG27,ElementalAnalysisofpetroleumproducts,availablefromNEN,P.O.Box5059,NL2600GBDelft,the
Netherlands.Precisiondatafromtheprogrammeareincorporatedinthetestmethod.
5
Incasesofdisputeconcerningsulfurorinorganicchloridecontent,interlaboratorytestinghasnotidentifiedstatistical
differencesinprecisionatthespecifiedlevels.
6
Thesemethodshavespecialprovisionsforethanolwhicharenotincorporatedintheusualpetroleumtestmethodssuchas
ENISO20846andENISO20884.
7
AgeneralguideforperformingtraceelementanalysisbyICPcanbefoundinASTMD7260.
8
Alsoappliestoevaporativeresidueandexistentwashedgums.
11