Introduction

The two-stroke engine is one of the most highly polluting carbureted engines. Due to the inefficiency of the design of two-stroke engines, gasoline constituents including carcinogenic benzene and toluene, xylene, and a Class-C carcinogen MTBE are emitted.

Two-stroke engines are used on 75 percent of personal water craft. Fuel is discharged unburned directly into the water by the personal water craft. It is estimated that the two-stroke engines on personal water craft spill 15 times more fuel into U.S. waters each year than the Exxon Valdez. The pollution from the fuel bioaccumulates, harming not only the lowest part of the food chain, but also the highest. Detection of MTBE in our drinking water is also a result of the design inefficiency of two-stroke engines.

We chose this as our project because the pollution from two-strokes on personal water craft is becoming more extensive. Something must be done to stop the pollution before it is too late and precious lakes, water basins, parks, off-shore ocean waters and wildlife are lost. The carbureted two-stroke engine has been virtually unchanged for 40 years, and the time has come to make major changes to it.

We know we cannot remove personal water craft from the waters, but we can make their engines more environmentally friendly and more efficient. In this project, we are going to present background information regarding environmental impacts of MTBE pollution, legal regulations governing the use of personal water craft, the history and the future of two-stroke engines and personal water craft, background into fuels and additives, and we will also be presenting modifications to existing two-stroke engines that would move them towards meeting the new Environmental Protection Agency's emission levels of 2006.