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The Aspen alternative

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The Aspen alternative: From September 2021, regular grade unleaded petrol (95 octane) in the UK is changing. To help in the Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions, ethanol content will increase to 10% (E10) from the 5% (E5) currently available on pump.

While this is not an issue for modern petrol car engines designed to be operated with E10, users of garden and grounds machinery now face and increased risk of experiencing reliability issues attributable to the increased ethanol content.

The Aspen alternative

The Aspen alternative

Ethanol is a renewable bio-fuel that can be mixed with unleaded petrol in various grades and, when burnt, produces fewer emissions. It is anticipated that the switch to E10 will remove 750,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, for those with modern machines designed to handle E10 fuel, few problems are expected during day-to-day operation. However, ethanol is a solvent that is damaging to plastic and rubber and is the ingredient often responsible for ‘gummy deposits’ left behind once the fuel has evaporated. The additional ethanol content therefore threatens to shorten the service life of certain system components and contribute towards the poor running of small power equipment.

In addition to issues with reliability, ethanol also reduces the storage life of petrol, through the binding of moisture which then acidifies – in turn, leading to problems for owners who use their machinery infrequently or store them for long periods of time. Many manufacturers, including Stihl, Husqvarna and Honda recommend that fuels containing ethanol should be consumed within a 30-day period in order to minimise the risks.

Being free from ethanol as well as benzene, sulphur and many other harmful substances, Aspen Alkylate petrol offers a clean alternative for both 2 and 4-stroke engines – improving the health and performance of your equipment, the working conditions for the operator and significantly reducing the harmful impact your machinery makes on the environment. The increase in purity compared to traditional pump petrol means Aspen can also be left in fuel tanks for many years without degrading.

While the introduction of more ethanol into regular petrol will reduce environmental emissions, and E5 petrol will remain available in the ‘super’ grade (97+ octane) at some larger filling stations, the remaining emissions and overall impact on operator and machinery health is still substantially more hazardous than those operating with Aspen fuel.

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Aspen Fuel powers cleaner performance

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Aspen Fuel powers cleaner performance: Arboricultural companies, large and small, are discovering the benefits of switching their fuel over to Aspen Alkylate Petrol.

The UK’s largest tree contractors, Gristwood and Toms, together with Merseyside-based grounds and landscapers, Kingsman Gardens, have both reaped the rewards of using Aspen fuel – reducing harmful fumes and costly machinery servicing and repairs.

Aspen Fuel powers cleaner performance

Aspen Fuel powers cleaner performance

Gristwood and Toms started using Aspen 2 in their fleet of chainsaws 18 months ago. “With a team of 220 people and nearly 200 vehicles on our books, it’s important that we’re taking steps where we can, to improve our green credentials” explains Director Dave Gristwood. “Aspen came in to demonstrate the product and how, by removing all of the nasty chemicals, the fuel burns much cleaner than regular unleaded. Our chainsaws run well, now without the fumes which is much better health-wise for the guys using them.” He continues, “In our line of work, it’s also quite common for spillages to occur, and if this happens now with the Aspen product, it’s noticeable that it doesn’t cause damage to plants or the surrounding environment to the same degree as conventional fuel.”

For Kevin Prince, Owner of Kingsman Gardens, the difference he has noticed in the longevity of his machinery has been massive since he switched to Aspen 2 two years ago. “My team of five guys undertake a variety of domestic and commercial works from landscaping, garden clearances, tree cutting to pressure washing and cleaning. Because of the scope and variety of work we do, some items on our machinery fleet will sit around unused for a few months – sometimes even longer. Because the Aspen fuel doesn’t deteriorate like regular petrol would do, and keeps the inner workings so much cleaner, it means we’ve had machines that are unused for over a year that still start up first time.”

Kevin uses Aspen 2 in all of his 2-stroke equipment, including chainsaws, strimmers and hedgecutters together with a small amount of the Aspen 4 mix in some of his 4-stroke hover mowers. “Being ready prepared, we’ve all but eliminated issues with mixing which is much safer and reduces my maintenance costs when machines weren’t running as they should. Customers have also commented on the reduction in smell and smoke which is especially important when you’re working in small, confined areas.”

Being virtually free from sulphur, benzene and solvents, Aspen alkylate petrol burns cleaner than regular petrol making it safer for operators, machinery and the environment.

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Work Smarter With Aspen Alkylate Fuel

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Work Smarter With Aspen Alkylate Fuel: Aspen Fuel is the world front runner in supplying clean burning, low emission alkylate petrol for small engine machinery, originally created back in 1988 to tackle the health problems which forestry workers were encountering when working in an environment filled with fumes from their two-stroke chainsaws.

Available as a ready mixed two-stroke fuel and a straight petrol replacement, it has quickly become the industry standard of petrol for anyone working behind petrol powered, handheld machinery in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy and France. To date, more than 350 million litres of Aspen Fuel has been sold worldwide. In the UK, Aspen fuel is distributed by Anglo American Oil Company Ltd and is sold throughout the country by over 350 dealers.

Work Smarter With Aspen Alkylate Fuel

Delivered directly to you

Businesses and local authorities can benefit greatly by having Aspen fuel delivered directly to their site, saving the time spent going to get petrol and avoiding the possibility of damaging two-stroke equipment due to an incorrect fuel/oil mixture. Aspen fuel contains 99% less harmful hydrocarbons therefore machines running on Aspen fuel will emit much cleaner exhaust emissions compared to standard petrol, making working with these machines a much safer and more pleasant experience.

Not only better for the environment but also better for you and your machines – Simple!

  • Free deliveries directly to your premises – no downtime travelling to collect fuel.
  • Long shelf life allows for fuel to be left in machines for long periods of storage without any damage occurring to the fuel system.
  • Premixed 2-stroke version eliminates the risk of mixing errors or accidents.
  • Less machinery down time due to breakdowns.
  • Machines last longer and are easier to service.
  • Easy for operators to select the correct fuel and avoid costly mixing errors.
  • Improved working environment for your staff by reducing toxic emissions.
  • Easy to monitor fuel consumption and factor into job costs.
  • Simplified accounting with fewer receipts.

To find out more about the benefits of working with Aspen fuel please visit the website https://aspenfuel.co.uk/benefits/professionals/

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