adminIt is a bio-fuel that does not release much carbon monoxide into the atmosphere compared to fossil fuels like petrol and diesel. This means less air pollution and a greenhouse gas emission reduction ranging from 60 percent to 90 percent, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
In Zimbabwe, Macdom (Pvt) Ltd in conjunction with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) recently completed the construction of a $600 million ethanol plant at Chisumbanje in Manicaland. The plant is fed by sugarcane which is grown on Arda estates at Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi.
The project is modelled from experiences in Brazil, the leading producer of sugarcane-based ethanol worldwide. The plant produces ethanol from sugarcane and blends it with unleaded petrol on a one-to-nine ratio.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) national spokesperson Mr Steady Kangata said there were many environmental benefits to be derived from greater use of ethanol blend.
“As long as the company follows the correct procedure then the fuel does not cause a threat to the environment,” he said.
“Ethanol is an environmentally friendly fuel compared to petrol and this fuel is much safer to use than petrol,” he said.
Ethanol can be made from any crop or plant that contains a large amount of sugar or components that can be converted into sugar, such as starch or cellulose.
Sugar beets and sugarcane contain natural sugar. Crops such as maize, wheat and barley contain starch that can be easily converted to sugar. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugars with yeast.
It is concentrated to fuel grade by distillation. Distillation is a physical process in which the components of a solution in this case, water and ethanol, are separated by differences in boiling point or vapour pressure, distillation also involves the separation of mash from ethanol.
Production of each volume of ethanol will generate about nine volumes of effluent. A portion of the effluent can be recycled and used to dilute high concentration feedstock.
A lecturer at the National University of Science and Technology’s Department of Bio-Chemistry who refused to be named said ethanol is produced from juice extracted from sugar cane and plants that contain sugar.
“The juice extracted is fermented to produce a mixture of ethanol and water which is then distilled to remove all moisture content and achieve the final product of fuel grade anhydrous ethanol. The production of ethanol from plant biomass uses more energy to produce this fuel than the energy that it produces,” he said.
Blending serves mainly two purposes as it extends petrol supplies and enhances octane as it replaces lead compounds in petrol.
On a community level ethanol production is often viewed as a means to become independent of purchased fuels to keep money within the local economy and provide an assured supply in the event of shortages.
The production of ethanol supports farmers and creates jobs because its feedstock is mostly domestic from locally grown crops. For a country like
Zimbabwe, this also reduces dependency on foreign oil and increases a nation’s independence.
Zimbabwe has since the 1960s pioneered the production of ethanol for blending with petrol in Africa.
Green Fuel is Africa’s first large-scale ethanol factory, making anhydrous (without water) ethanol from sugar cane. The $600 million project is the first of its size in Africa.
It is capable of producing up to 150 000 litres of ethanol a day and at the moment it has in stock up to 10 million litres and is producing five megawatts of electricity. The plant is set to generate 18 megawatts of electricity soon.
The success of the Green Fuel project, however, is facing apparent resistance from fuel retailers who are expected to blend imported fuel with ethanol to produce ethanol blend.
Green Fuel public relations officer, Ms Lillian Muungani, said the product conveyance into the market has been seriously undermined by the logistical factor of storage at most garages.
“Most fuel retail outlets in Zimbabwe can only handle two products in terms of storage and retailing — diesel and petrol. Therefore introducing a third product to the whole set-up requires that they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional infrastructure for storage and retailing.”
She urged the local market to support the investment saying ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly, helping the country fight carbon dirt and the resultant climate change. It is also a clean-burning fuel, which will also help reduce the national fuel import bill by at least 10 percent as the permitted blending ratio in the country is 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent petrol. It is from the blending ratio that locally produced ethanol is called E10.
In the United States, ethanol is primarily derived from maize. Since maize and sugar cane are both renewable resources grown by domestic farmers, a connection to the land is often touted as one of the main advantages of ethanol fuel.
Green Fuel is running an extensive advertising campaign to educate the public on key issues such as the fact that E10 is suitable for most petrol vehicles produced over the past few years. A motorist can alternate between E10 and unleaded petrol without any resulting effects on their engine.
“We are directing attention to motorists to the fact that apart from E10 being a cleaner and better performing fuel, using this product is a way of promoting local jobs and ensuring that cash stays within the local economy instead of Treasury committing millions of dollars everyday towards the procurement of a wholly foreign
product,” she said.
Green Fuel employs about 5 000 people, many from around Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi as well as Manicaland province. It has many other benefits
because a number of local farmers have been contracted to grow feedstock for the plant.
With rising prices and the fact that they are fast depleting, fossil fuels, especially oil and natural gas, and heavy biomass energy consumption, emphasis on biofuels as renewable energy sources has developed globally.
Online Reporter