Propane Fact Sheet
Did you know?
ONE conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in one hour as 40 late model cars?
Spills from pumping gasoline into cans for lawn use and overfilling mowers and other gardening equipment result in an average of 17 million wasted gallons a year. That’s more petroleum than spilled by the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska! 17 MILLION wasted gallons a year.
Why is Propane so Clean?
There is a simple reason that propane produces less emissions than gasoline and diesel. Heavier refined fuels are a mixture of longer chain molecules, so of which are not saturated with hydrogen. Examples are toluene and benzene, which are sometimes referred to as cyclical compounds.
Commercial propane is C3H8 (that is 3 carbon atoms, 8 hydrogen atoms). It contains slight amounts of heavier compounds, but does not typically contain the cyclical compounds that gasoline and diesel contain. When these compounds burn “incompletely”, the compounds enter the environment as NOx, VOC and CO emissions.
Propane vs. Gasoline vs. Diesel
Propane ranks better in toxic emissions when compared to gasoline or diesel. Studies have shown that propane ranks near or better than Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in NOx, VOC and CO emissions.
Environmental Side-By-Side
| Gas Powered Mower | Propane Powered Mower | Green | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUTS Greenhouses Gases | No | Yes 30-50% less |  |
| Emissions of Toxic Carniogens | High | 96% Less | |
| Benzene & Toluene in the Air | |||
| % of Fuel Domestically Produced | >10% | 90+ or 95+% | |
| Potential Fuel Contamination (water, dirt, etc.) | Yes | No | |
| Subject to “Ozone Action Days” Down Time | Yes | No | |