Brazil’s bioethanol programme goes back to the 1970s, and it is the only large-scale
programme in the world which is now able to expand without government subsidies.
For every energy unit
invested, sugarcane ethanol yields 8.3 units, followed by sugar beet in France, which
yields 1.9 energy units for every unit of input. Corn ethanol is around 1.5.
August 16, 2008:
Ethanol, has an octane rating of 113
compared to 109 of MTBE.
As corn contains 60-68% starch, one metric tonne of corn yields some 600-680kg of glucose. Which can yield 360-380 lt of ethanol at 87% fermentation efficiency.
Corn yield has reached in some regions up to 155 bushels per acre. This means that 1 km2 can produce some 9.7 metric tonne or 3,700 lt of ethanol.
Biodiesel Facts & Figures
August 18, 2008:
Corn produces 145 kg of oil per hectare per year, sunflowers 800 kg and rapeseed 1000 kg,
Jatropha produces 1,590 kg of oil per hectare per year, and palm oil 5,000 kg.
August 16, 2008:
The U.S. biodiesel industry produced 450 million gallons in 2007, according to the National Biodiesel Board, a U.S. trade association. Diesel sales are expected to triple in the next ten years.
Environment Impact Facts & Figures
August 20, 2008
In 1997, in South East Asia, 5 million hectares of forest were burnt, mainly to grow palm oil.
The ability of various bioenergy types to reduce greenhouse gas emissions varies widely, and where forest are cleared to make way for new energy crops, the emissions can be even higher than those from fossil fuels.
August 18, 2008:
Soya cultivation is understood to be responsible for more Amazon destruction than any other agribusiness
in present times. It is also linked to destruction of
Brazil’s Atlantic forests.
According to the International Panel on Climate Change, N2O emissions from soil are
10-100 times higher if fertilizer is applied to tropical soil, compared to temperate climate
zones.
Producers & Market
August 20, 2008
Two USA companies, Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland control more than half of the world's grain trade.
