Researchers at the Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India have developed a method of mixing alcohol and petrol to use as engine fuel. The idea is not new, but the Indian scientists have extended previous work by using industrial alcohol containing around five per cent water. They have also been able to operate with a 50:50 mixture of alcohol and petrol, the blend being stabilized with a proprietary additive.
Tests with the fuel mixture indicate that it has an octane number of 98, facilitating the use of high compression ratios to achieve high efficiency. Fuel containing a high proportion of alcohol is cheaper than pure petroleum fuel.