Corrosion Behavior of Low Carbon Steel in Bioethanol Fuel Blends

Bioethanol is a clean and sustainable fuel; on the contrary, the addition of bioethanol to gasoline normally creates corrosion on automobile fuel system materials. In this study, corrosion characteristics of low carbon steel normally encountered in gasoline engine fuel system with bioethanol fuel was investigated. Static immersion tests in different fuel blends E0 (gasoline), E10 and E85 were carried out at room temperature for 1320 h. The mechanical, physical and chemical properties of low carbon steel before and after immersion tests were investigated. Moreover, the physical and chemical properties of fuel blends before and after immersion tests were investigated. The results revealed that the usage of E10 blend is considered feasible for gasoline engines in terms of materials compatibility compared to E85.