Henry began his presentation by pointing out some important differences between ethanol and petroleum products, including flammability burning behaviour and extinguishment When comparing ethanol to gasoline in an open spill, gasoline is the worse fuel because it has a very low flashpoint of -40 °C while pure ethanol is +12 °C, While gasoline's heavier fuel vapour increases the risk of ignition due to its spreading on the ground, ethanol vapour has higher electric conductivity, reducing the likelihood for an ignition caused by static electricity All together, this means in an open spill situation both fuels have similar risk levels.
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