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Posted by Hank on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 22:14:14 :
In Reply to: OT Alcohol and diesel posted by D Sherman on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 14:47:22 :
... yer basic "fuel bugs". Turns out that there are some critters that actually eat fuel - Cladosporium resinae (aka "kerosene fungus") and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to be exact. Ask any airport or fuel depot manager, these things are a pain. Totally anaerobic, they will live happily at the fuel/water margin in your heating oil tank for 30 years, steadily munching away at your fuel and leaving behind more water and their own dead bodies.
So, you now have fuel, water, and living and dead bioscum. You poured in some isopropyl alohol, and made a nice emulsion until the alcohol was absorbed by the water.
You can kill the living bioscum with biocides designed for fuel use, then you will have dead bioscum, water, and fuel. Filter out the scum, separate the water, then you have fuel. Cost and lots of work, how much fuel do you have?
Also, as a minor point, keep in mind that P. aeruginosa will cheerfully eat about any lipid, like the ones in your body fat, for example. These pups are somewhat dangerous and hard to treat if they get under your skin, as it were. You look like a nice tamale to them, if they can just get through the husk to the tasty inside.
Happy biochemistry.
H
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