E15, E20 for non-flex fuel cars? Study finds no increase in tailpipe emissions, increased catalytic converter risk

In Washington, the Department of Energy released a study that concluded that the use of E15 or E20 blends in non-flex fuel vehicles would not create additional tailpipe emissions. However, the study concluded that the use of ethanol in non-flex fuel engines caused an increase of heat in the catalytic converters of certain vehicles, enough to cause converter damage. The study focused on the use of E15 and E20 in 13 different automobiles s and 28 small engines such as lawnmowers. The ethanol industry has focused on increasing the minimum blend of ethanol from E10 to the E15-E30 range as a means of satisfying the 36 billion requirement in the EISA Act by 2022 in the wake of low acceptance of E85.

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