Page 268 - Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment

Prospects and technological advancement of cellulosic bioethanol ecofuel production 231

Table 8.6 Future bioethanol policy of some leading bioethanol producing country [59]

Country Current mandate Future policy
Argentina E12 E26
Brazil E27 E27.5
Canada E5 By 2020, E10
The United States Renewable Fuel Standard Renewable Fuel Standard
Mexico E5.8 E10
European Union E5.7 By 2020, E10
Norway – By 2020, E20
Australia In Queensland, E3 E10
In New South Wales, E7
China E2.6 By 2020, E10
India E5 E10
Indonesia E2 By 2020, E20
Ethiopia E5 E20

Zambia has started a program for encouraging farmers to plant cassava. The aim of
this program is to enhance the cultivation of cassava feedstock for an ethanol plant
of capacity 120 million liters per year. It is estimated that the plant’s production capac-
ity is equivalent to 15% of Zambia’s total gasoline requirement. Indonesia is building
an ethanol plant that will produce 2.3 million liters of ethanol per year and other
byproducts such as animal feed and fertilizer from food waste. Ubon Bio Ethanol,
Thailand, has planned to launch a pilot-scale ethanol plant from cassava waste in Thai-
land as a joint venture with St1, Finland.
Recently, the global ethanol-producing countries have changed their ethanol
production policies and taken a number of initiatives for enhancing the production
and utilization of ethanol. Table 8.6 highlights the policies of some leading
bioethanol-producing countries in the world. China has set a policy for using an E10
ethanol-gasoline blend by 2020 [49]. It is expected that this increase will boost the
demand for ethanol to at least four times the current consumption. Despite the concerns
oftheVietnameseconsumerthat5%ethanol(E5)willdamagetheircar,thegovernment
forced all the filling stations to sell E5 [59]. Ethanol demand in Brazil will be increased
to 60 million liters due to the boost in the blend percentage. With the aim of reducing
30% of total greenhouse gas emissions, Canada developed “clean fuel standard” that
will force an increase of the percentage of ethanol in the ethanol-gasoline blend.

8.6 Challenges and future research direction

Ove the years, a number of feedstocks have been explored that have already proved
their potentiality for bioethanol production. So many efforts have been made during
the last few years for advancing bioethanol technology and addressing the issues for
commercial bioethanol production. However, there still exist a number of technical