Types of Butane Fuel

Automotive

• When combined with gasoline, butane acts as a fuel stabilizer during hot summer months, according to the Energy Policy Research Foundation. When temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, pressures in automobile and portable gasoline tanks can rise to unsafe levels. Required by the EPA, butane reduces the boiling point of gasoline, making it safe during extreme heat waves.

Household

• When combined with propane, butane creates liquid propane gas (LPG). Commonly used as a barbecue-grill fuel, butane converts to liquid at low pressure, making storage in tanks easier and less volatile, according to NETT Technologies. When burned, butane emits carbon dioxide and not the more dangerous carbon monoxide gas. Butane is also used as a fuel for cigarette lighters.

Refrigeration

• A form of butane can be used as a refrigeration coolant. Called isobutane, it replaces the more environmentally-hazardous chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), commonly called freon, in older refrigerators and air conditioners. Butane refrigerators and freezers not only are cleaner and less hazardous to the environment than CFC models, they also around 10 percent more efficient (on average), according to the Broad Street Licensing Group.

Environmental

• Butane and other carbon-based materials can also be employed to reduce contamination in soil and groundwater. According to the editor of "Chemistry and Physics of Carbon," carbon can be used to clean up a variety of environmental pollutants, from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air to contaminated drinking water.