The Hyperlogos

Butanol, or butyl alcohol is a more complex alcohol that can be utilized as a direct gasoline replacement without modification. It can be burned alone, or mixed with gasoline without ill effects. It has 10% less energy than gasoline, but a 25% higher octane rating, meaning that with higher compression it should be possible to get more energy out of it, making it potentially ideal as a racing fuel. Most butanol is currently made from fossil fuels but it can also be made by a bacterium, Clostridium acetobutylicum - first used to make TNT in 1916.

More content to follow. Some links, for now:

• Wikipedia: Butanol
• Environmental Energy Inc.
• Butanol MSDS at Cornell University
• Chemical Land 21: n-Butanol
• The Light Party: Butanol
• USA Today: DuPont, BP join to make butanol; they say it outperforms ethanol as a fuel additive