Alcohol fuels from biomass in Brazil: a comparative assessment of methanol and ethanol
The prospect of an unprecedented production of ethanol for use as fuel has raised two general types of questions: (a) is sugar cane/ethanol the most cost-effective feedstock/product combination for a Brazilian alcohol-fuels program. (b) What are the potential environmental impacts of increased alcohol-fuels production, especially with respect to water quality and land use. This study uses a linear-programming model to evaluate options for future alcohol-fuels production in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The results indicate that: (a) the expansion of alcohol distilleries located adjacent to sugar refineries was the best strategy for the first phase of the Program; (b) in the future, the use of wood methanol could be less costly than sugar ethanol produced in independent distilleries; (c) ethanol from manioc can be competitive only if the cost of manioc falls to half of its current value, but manioc could be used immediately as a backup feedstock in the sugar-cane off-season; (d) the displacement of other crops by sugar cane, as measured by current land prices, seems to have little impact on the cost of ethanol, but could pose problems in terms of increased food prices and loss of foreign exchange; (e) the enforcement of regional water-quality standards would require relocation of distilleries in order to protect areas which already show high levels of pollution; (f) from the standpoint of gasoline substitution, the use of pure alcohol fuels should be expanded as much as possible.
- OSTI ID:
- 5127407
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
BRAZIL
ETHANOL FUELS
METHANOL FUELS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
PRODUCTION
WATER QUALITY
ALCOHOL FUELS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FUELS
LATIN AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA
SYNTHETIC FUELS
090200* - Alcohol Fuels- (-1989)
299003 - Energy Planning & Policy- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation- Other- (-1989)
530100 - Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies- Social & Economic Studies- (-1989)
530200 - Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies- Assessment of Energy Technologies- (-1989)
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety