In Brazil, due to the large production of sugar cane, bioethanol is used occasionally to power cars and in the United States biofuels are used from corn. In Britain, although bioethanol is rarely used, it is available in a number of fuel stations as ethanol can be mixed with either petrol or diesel in small quantities however Citroen released the new C8 in 2006 which is capable of running on 30% ethanol fuel. Engines where ethanol can be mixed have been specially modified.
Due to the widespread of interest shown by consumers, researchers in the future aim to invent engines capable of running only on ethanol resulting in greater efficiency.
Case Study of Bioethanol in BRAZIL
30 years ago, 1 litre of ethanol is worth 3 times more than 1 litre of gasoline. Thus most nations don’t consider investing in biofuel.
Brazil the first to produce the cheapest ethanol in the world.
WHY BRAZIL?
- Favourable conditions
- Tradition of culturing sugarcane
- Sugarcane being the most efficient raw materials for production of ethanol
In 1930s
- Brazil’s ethanol industry started
- Government directed sugarcane into ethanol production
- Made addition of ethanol to gasoline compulsory
In 1973
- International oil crisis doubled Brazil’s expenditure on oil imports
- Government was forced to consider alternative sources of energy to decrease its dependency and spending on fossil fuels.
In 1975
- Increase ethanol production as a substitute for gasoline
- Invested in increasing agricultural production
- Modernising and expanding distilleries
- Establish new production plants
- Introduce subsidies to lower prices and reduce taxes for ethanol producers
Over 15 years, production of ethanol escalated from 0.6 billion litres in 1975 to 11 billion litres in 1990.
Progress further with Bioethanol establishments:
1975 to 1978
- One part of ethanol was added to four parts of gasoline.
- Additional processing stage to remove water from the fuel
1979
- Production streamlined to focus on hydrous ethanol
- Ethanol which contains 5% water that could be used in cars fuelled entirely by ethanol
Researchers in Aerospace Technology in Sao Paulo, developed alloys to protect the internal parts of gasoline-powered engines and fuel tanks from corrosion by ethanol. 1986 to 1989, 90% of all new vehicles sold in the domestic market were ethanol-fuelled.
The science used by Brazil for significant achievement!
The science used by Brazil for significant achievement!
- Production of 40 tonnes of sugarcane per hectare
Using traditional breeding technique, researchers produced varieties adapted to:
- different soil
- different climate condition
- with shorter production cycles
- better yields
- tolerance to water scarcity
- Tolerance to pests (e.g. fungus that caused sugarcane rust in the 1980s)
During production:
- New grinding systems were developed
- Fermentation process adapted
- Purpose to use different microorganisms and enzymes to produce more ethanol at a faster rate
PROBLEMS faced:
- Waste!!
- VINASSE – a corrosive liquid byproduct of ethanol distillation
- Being dumped in rivers causing environmental damage
- Bagasse – leftover sugarcane fibre
(Bagasse)
SOLUTIONS:
- Vinasse was found to be a good fertiliser.
- Transportation system was developed
- Combination of trucks, pipes and ducts to carry Vinasse from the distilleries to the fields
- Bagasse was collected
- Produce energy, building on existing methods of burning the bagasse to power steam turbines for electricity generation
- Developed cauldrons under greater pressure
- More energy could be produced allowing ethanol plants to become more autonomous in terms of energy
- CONTRIBUTIONS IS TO KEEP ETHANOL PRODUCTION COSTS LOW
o Brazil second biggest producer of ethanol in the world (20 billion litres).
o Fuel used in 45 % of Brazilian vehicles is ethanol.
o Producing ethanol from sugarcane bagasse and straw. The components are rich in cellulose and turning entire sugarcane biomass to be used with no wastage.
o 1 tonne of bagasse produce 186 litres of ethanol
Social impacts:
Ethanol industry has created more than a million direct and indirect jobs – mainly in rural areas. Brazilian sugarcane industry has a particularly poor record in respecting worker’s rights. Expansion in sugar cane cultivation may increase food prices. This would leave the poor with a harder survival.
Although the ethanol industry has greatly increased the wealth of the sugar and alcohol sector’s industries, the poor have to be the one handling the negative impacts.
