Toluene?

Mike Bontoft · 09-09-2009, 06:11 PM

Does anyone know if toluene is available in quantity (55 gal drum) in the UK and what the cost is?

marshan162 · 09-09-2009, 07:43 PM

I've been looking into it myself, will probably have an answer in a few days. I think any supplier may be fussy about an appropriate delivery point.

Pat · 09-09-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Bontoft

Does anyone know if toluene is available in quantity (55 gal drum) in the UK and what the cost is?

Try ringing Albion Chemicals, they have branches everywhere. I think I priced toluene last time I was there a few years ago and it was wild money, but that was probably for lab grade stuff or something. I mean there's plenty of the stuff in cellulose thinners, and it's dirt cheap!

Pat · 09-09-2009, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshan162

I've been looking into it myself, will probably have an answer in a few days. I think any supplier may be fussy about an appropriate delivery point.

I bought a drum of very nasty acid last time - they insisted that it had to be in a trailer or the enclosed loadspace of a van. Took along a ropey old trailer, trailered it off the premises, and put it in the boot of the car! Just don't try to buy Nitric Acid at the same time, they'll probably think you are making TNT or something...

den · 09-09-2009, 08:27 PM

Don't try making crytal meth either, it gives off phosgene during the reaction!

Cookee · 10-09-2009, 08:28 AM

What do you need it for? It's pretty noxious stuff!

Pat · 10-09-2009, 11:11 AM

Octane boost I presume...

RichA (Lamont) · 10-09-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

Octane boost I presume...

Pure toluene costs around £145 for 25 litre drum. Paint toluene cost around £75 per 25 litre drum. There are many cheaper ways to get an octane boost. How high do you want to boost your octane? Besides toluene whilst boosting octane reduces power.

marshan162 · 10-09-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichA

Pure toluene costs around £145 for 25 litre drum. Paint toluene cost around £75 per 25 litre drum. There are many cheaper ways to get an octane boost. How high do you want to boost your octane? Besides toluene whilst boosting octane reduces power.

Those prices are for Lab/Retail Quantity. The real trading price is about £165/ metric ton So 16.5p litre. I would think that it is feasable that a supply in 55 gal drums should be possible for 50p - £1 /litre. still cheaper than gasoline

Why do you say it reduces power? It contains more energy than gasoline. 80's FI cars were running on almost 100% Toluene and they were prodicing 1000 BHP from Turbo 1500cc

What cheaper ways are there to boost octane?

RichA (Lamont) · 10-09-2009, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshan162

What cheaper ways are there to boost octane?

If you have a supply at 50p a litre - then not much else is better.

If you are looking at £3 a litre - which is the best I could find, then there are a lot of blended fuels at around £2.50 for 110 octane 5% oxygen fuel, which will be damned hard to beat.

At the cheaper end of the scale there is BP 102 and Tesco 99 - which are both good fuels, Tesco is refined, BP is blended. BP also runs at 2.5% oxygen and has the benefit of being a road legal pump fuel.

Mike Bontoft · 10-09-2009, 04:28 PM

Thanks for the info. I will need close to 100 octane. We used to use Toluene back in the 80s in England but I wasn't paying for it so I'm not sure what it cost. Added to 92 octane the percentage we used was 30% which gave us just under 99 octane. I am looking for the best options for getting 100 octane in the UK.
Thanks

Jon Fuller · 10-09-2009, 05:35 PM

Avgas 100LL (Low Lead) is I think on average 104 octane.

If you can find a friendly aerodrome I think it's cheaper than road fuel by quite a bit. Of course, if you need it in large quantities it might not be so easy.

gazza · 10-09-2009, 07:06 PM

Avgas was widely used up here with the Ski race guys in the early ninties.

gaZ

Burty · 10-09-2009, 08:46 PM

last time i bought it, (which is about 4 years ago) it was £1.10 a litre

Pat · 10-09-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burty

last time i bought it, (which is about 4 years ago) it was £1.10 a litre

It's about 10p a litre more than boggo unleaded here. Not all places will let you fill, but the one near me you can just pull up, fill your cans, pay the moolah, and go. That's Newtownards airport, in N. Ireland.

Pat · 10-09-2009, 11:24 PM

Oh, and it doesn't go stale like normal petrol - you can store it for a couple of years in a sealed can and it'll be as good as new. I just bought 10 used 20l Jerry cans with new seals for a fiver apiece.
And I already have 8 of them. 360 litres, that would keep me going for a while with a 50hp outboard...