« Ethanol Industry Sees Change | Home | Ethanol And Biodiesel Are The Best Fuels On The Road Today »
Ethanol: Potential Of Sugar-Based Fuel On Display In Brazil
By Mr Ethanol | February 6, 2008
Truth about Trade & Technology:
When taxi driver Jose Arruda fuels his 2007 Chevy in this city of skyscrapers and slums, he doesn’t buy gas. He buys ethanol, a plant-based fuel that is cheaper, eco-friendly and better for his engine.
“With ethanol, I pocket more money for my family,” Arruda said. “Why buy gas?”As drivers across the United States face soaring oil prices, they can look to Brazil as a model for alternative fuel.
Motorists like Arruda can fill up with pure ethanol at every one of the 33,000 fueling stations in this U.S.-sized country. At least eight of 10 new cars sold in Brazil today run on ethanol or gas blended with ethanol. General Motors and other carmakers can’t meet Brazil’s demand for the “flex-fuel” cars. No other country relies as much on ethanol to fuel vehicles: 40 percent and rising.
Gov. Charlie Crist recently visited Brazil to learn how South America’s largest nation does it. How did Brazil achieve its prowess? How did it end petroleum imports for cars?
Crist, who considers himself the green governor, Thursday proposed a state budget that includes $42.5 million to promote and develop biofuels to trim harmful emissions from oil. He wants all gas sold in Florida to eventually include 10 percent ethanol, a move that would not require changing cars or fueling stations.
To understand how Brazil makes ethanol and became an ethanol leader, visit the sugar-growing area of Piracicaba in Sao Paulo state. Fields of green sugar cane stretch for miles. They provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers, from cane cutters to scientists.
Dozens of mills crush cane for either sugar or ethanol. They grind the cane stalks to extract the juice. Then, yeast is added and the mixture ferments. When heated, the ethanol or alcohol rises. The crushed cane stalks are burned to make electricity, further reducing the need for petroleum. More.
Topics: Biofuel, Brazil, Ethanol, News |
Related Posts
- Brazil’s Sugar/Ethanol Makers May Begin To Reduce New Mill Investing
- Brazil’s Ethanol Market Report – The Flexi-Fuel
- Biofuel Per Acre–Brazil Cleans Our Clock
- If We’re Going to Use Ethanol, Do It Wisely
- Vietnam To Sign Pact With Brazil For Ethanol Fuel
- Toyota To Debut Ethanol Cars In Brazil
- Ethanol Giants Struggle To Crack Brazil Market
- Soros Says Ethanol Investments Hurt By Governments
- Ethanol Fuels Brazil’s Sugar-Cane Industry
- Ethanol Sales To Exceed Gasoline In Brazil By 2020, Petrobras To Shrink Oil Business To Focus On Biofuels
New Way Of Making Easy Money Online