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  mhh5, 25 Aug 2000 @ 3:43am

  
  

  No PhD yet..

  But I'll add my two cents now. The source of this article is reputable, BUT chemists are not automotive engineers. There are a few complications I can think of... Depending on the polymer and how much is needed to get the effects, I can imagine problems with solubility. MTBE and lead alkyls dissolve readily in gasoline, so they present no problems with fuel lines, etc. But barring any "engineering" problems, polymer additives should be cheap and easy to drop into existing fuels. However, it's still a 'short' term solution since we'll need to get away from petroleum products someday. (Polymers are also petroleum products, but consist of only about 5% of where petroleum ends up; most is burned.) So I'd still invest in fuel cell companies... All things considered, this could be good for the environment, but isn't what I'd call a scientific breakthrough. If we were willing to pay more for gas, we'd just use 100 octane-rated fuel and get the same effects.

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