I saw a mid-covid video back when gasoline prices were soaring of someone dumping gallons of gasoline in a giant plastic tub (to save money or something) but people in the comments claimed it would fall apart. I searched it up and gasoline does break down plastic but I can’t figure out why. Is it because they’re both carbon chains or something?
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Plastic is not one material it is a type of material. Some plastics are dissolved by gasoline but others are not. You can purchase gas cans made of plastic. There is a flexible fuel bladder too that can be used to store gasoline.
The problem is if you take a plastic that can’t handle gasoline, it might not be directly dissolved but weaken over time. There can be a lot of differences in how different plastics handle different chemicals. If you have acetone test a bit on it on ABS plastic and you can quickly see the result. Acetone is commonly sole in small quantities in plastic bottles, the have a plastic that can handle it.
Plastic gas cans are often made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is quite thick and sturdy. Milk jugs are made of HDPE too, the problem is they are quiet things and gasoline can make them a bit brittle, so they are a lot easier to break. They are also not sturdy enough to handle expansion from thermal expansion that can happen. It is not just a question of material but one of container design.
A plastic tub will be terrible regardless of the material. If you fill a container at a gas station the question is how you transport it.
Gasoline gives off flammable fumes, a space can ignite it so a tube is a bad idea if it is in a car. There is a very high risk of you needing to quickly break and gasoline splash all over the place. You should use containers design to handle flammable liquid when you transport it.
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