Advantages of bioethanol |
Biofuels in general and bioethanol in particular, have less of an environmental impact than fossil fuels because they reduce the emissions responsible for acid rain and the greenhouse effect. In addition, as well as reducing the consumption of petroleum derivatives, the use of bioethanol improves engine performance and increases efficiency. |
Saving in fossil fuels
The transport sector is a major energy consumer. In the Basque Country it accounts for 56% of all demand for petroleum products and the trend is clearly rising.
In addition, the sector is almost entirely dependent on petroleum derivatives: this means that we are dependent on an energy source over which we have no control, largely produced in some of the regions of greatest geo-political tension in the world. |
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| Replacing conventional petrol with bioethanol offers major savings in fossil energy, as the graph below shows; |
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One important parameter for measuring the energy efficiency of a fuel is what is known as the “Fossil Energy Ratio”, which compares the energy that can be extracted from the fuel and the energy consumed in manufacture and distribution.
The “Fossil Energy Ratio” is calculated as the quotient between the energy contained in the fuel and the energy actually consumed in producing and distributing it. |
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| As the table below shows, for the E85 mix, the ratio is 1.26, meaning that for every kWh used to produce E85, there is an energy benefit of 26%. |
| FUEL |
FOSSIL ENERGY RATIO |
| Petrol |
0.848 |
| E5 |
0.860 |
| E85 |
1,26 |
Source: CIEMAT |
Environmental advantages
Because bioethanol is made from plants, it is 100% biodegradable. It therefore holds out considerable environmental advantages in the event of accidental spillage.
When it is burned, bioethanol gives off considerably less sulphur and heavy metals, thus contributing to a reduction in acid rain.
Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are also lower than for conventional petrol. Moreover, bioethanol use is carbon neutral, in that during their growing cycle, the cereals used to manufacture bioethanol absorbed the same amount of CO2 as is emitted when it is burned in the engine.
This means a reduction in emissions of 70% using bioethanol E85 and 3% with bioethanol E5, as the graph below shows. |
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The figure below shows the relative CO2 emissions (horizontal axis), and emissions of particles and NOx (vertical axis) of different fuels used in transport. |
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The further right a given fuel is on the graph the higher its CO2 emissions and the higher up it is on the Y-axis, the greater the NOx and particle emissions.
As the graph shows, one way of reducing both CO2 emissions and NOx and particle emissions is to use different proportions of bioethanol. |
| Bioethanol is therefore a real solution for reducing emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and improving the environmental situation. |
Social advantages
With continued rises in oil prices, it is reasonable to presume that bioethanol E85 may become cheaper than petrol in the near future. This biofuel would therefore become a stabilising element in petrol prices, leading to better conditions for consumers and the economy in general, by offsetting the uncertainty of major price fluctuations.
At the same time, there are clear advantages in using a local biofuel, manufactured and distributed by local companies employing local personnel, which directly replaces fuel imported from third countries and thus reduces external dependency.
Finally, using biofuels creates jobs in agriculture and in the manufacture and supply of biofuels. |
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