Avgas Alternatives

Steve Ells

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 04:08 AM ET

Verified

** As 100LL comes under fire, the industry
searches for lead-free avgas alternatives.**

Key Takeaways:

The EPA's 2010 announcement to investigate leaded avgas (100LL) as an environmental health hazard initiated a push for the general aviation industry to find a lead-free replacement fuel.
Developing a viable lead-free 100-octane avgas is challenging, requiring a solution that maintains high-performance engine safety, is affordable, compatible with existing infrastructure, and meets stringent ASTM standards.
Two main companies, GAMI and Swift Technologies, are developing different formulations for lead-free 100-octane fuels, while other options like 94UL or very low-lead 100VLL face significant challenges in broad adoption or long-term viability.
Industry leaders emphasize the urgent need for a "global" 100-octane solution to avoid leaving any aircraft behind, highlighting a potential timeline conflict with the EPA's more measured approach.

See a mistake? Contact us.

In April 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency released an announcement that it was proposing to gather data to determine if leaded avgas is an environmental health hazard.

The announcement in the form of an advanced notice of proposed rule making (ANPRM) has created reactions that range from a willingness to move forward in the search for the new lead-free avgas to alarm at the idea of government mandated changes and outrage due to what some see as a misguided plan to replace one boutique fuel with another. Regardless, the ANPRM served as a wake-up call to GA that 100LL is on the way out and the aviation community needs to figure out what to do next.