Separate studies conducted by North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the University of California Riverside show ethanol blends reduce toxic tailpipe emissions by up to 50 percent, significantly improving air quality and protecting public health. The Urban Air Initiative (UAI) commissioned both studies, which provide evidence that adding higher than the standard 10 percent ethanol blend to gasoline can significantly improve air quality.

“By simply adding ethanol to current gasoline, this testing demonstrated the benefits of ethanol as a cleaner, higher octane fuel. The fact that these studies used consumer fuels and real world driving conditions is the most accurate reflection of what happens on the road every single day. It’s this kind of science that will help give consumers more access to a healthier fuel,” said Steve Vander Griend, UAI technical director.

The NCSU study is one of the first to look at real world fuels and real world driving conditions when evaluating tailpipe emissions. Data from both studies will be peer reviewed and published later this year.