[at-l] Disposal of white gas

[Arthur Gaudet]

White gas, when it's fresh, is about 60 octane. Not high enough to run an
automobile or lawnmower on it's own. You can use it in a 1:10 ratio with regular
gas (87 octane) and achieve 84.5 octane for the mix. It'd be better to burn it
with 89 octane. At 1:10 you'll achieve 86.3 octane - good enough for those
machines.

It's risky burning it off, esp. if you have more than a few ounces. You can put
an ounce or two on campfires as a starter but be aware the fumes are heavier
than air, so the fumes spread along the ground quite a distance if there's no
wind. This is what can cause accidents - you pour out some fuel, cap the bottle,
and then fumble for some matches. In the meantime the fumes are flowing outwards
along the ground. As you light the match nothing really happens until you lower
the flame towards the ground. Then a spectacular ring of fire light up speeding
towards the spot where you poured the fuel.

It's a manageable thing, though, so don't be put off by this description. It's
actually a bit of fun as well. 

Or add 12 ounces to 120 ounces of 89 or 87 octane. 1 gallon is 128 ounces. In
other words you can just pour it into your car if you like!

--RockDancer

-----Original Message-----
From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On
Behalf Of Linda Patton
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:58 PM
To: AT -L
Subject: [at-l] Disposal of white gas

How can I safely (and environmentally soundly) dispose of a small amount (about
12 oz.) of white gas remaining in an MSR fuel bottle I want to ship?  

I no longer have the original gas can, or I would just pour it back in there.
Can it be used in a lawnmower or gas powered brushcutter?  I don't  have any
metal screw-top containers--can it go in a glass bottle and be put in the
regular trash?  Or do I need to take it to the hazardous waste facility?  Or do
something else?  What about using it, in small amounts, to start campfires, or
fires in my grill? 

~~ eArThworm
http://booksforhikers.com
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