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Sugar Companies Have Answer To Fuel Shortages
By Mr Ethanol | June 13, 2008
New Vision:
The Ministry of Energy published its Renewable Energy Policy in November 2007. This policy also covers bio-fuels and improving efficiency of bio-mass utilisation. With respect to bio-fuels production, the ministry’s target is to blend 20% bio-fuels into all gasoline fuel and diesel. For petrol, this is planned to be done by blending with ethanol.
Why ethanol is a suitable choice of biofuel
Ethanol is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages (but without added flavours). It is a clear, colourless and flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon.
It is easy to manufacture and can be made from sugarcane or molasses, beet or corn. It can be used as a renewable bio-fuel alternative to petrol.
The major global trends that underlie the interest in using ethanol as a substitute automotive fuel are:
* The continuously rising price of petrol.
* The Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions - ethanol being a renewable energy source reduces carbon-dioxide emissions.
* Local production of fuel ethanol adds to Gross Domestic Product, reduces dependence on imports, and saves foreign exchange
Uganda imports about 220 million litres of petrol each year and this is projected to increase to 385 million litres by 2010.
The ideal strategy for Uganda is to produce anhydrous ethanol from molasses. This is a by-product of sugarcane presently used for small-scale distillation of local spirits like waragi. Unlike in Brazil, this ethanol is not from sugar or sugarcane juice. Hence if local sugar companies start producing ethanol from molasses, there will be no impact on sugar availability or on sugar prices.
Molasses is being produced from the sugarcane being cultivated to produce sugar. This means no additional land is required to generate this renewable bio-fuel (ethanol).
If all the available molasses were converted to ethanol in 2009, Uganda could produce 35 million litres of ethanol.
Kakira Sugar’s contribution… continue reading.
Topics: Biofuel, Industry, News, Trends |
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