Ethanol versus naphtha under Brazil's economy

Journal Article · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Hydrocarbon Process.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6748519

Luchi, N R

Ethanol is able to replace naphtha in two of its major usages, as raw material for ethylene production and as fuel for Otto engines. This possibility raises the question of value - or opportunity cost - of ethanol. Ethanol's economic value as a fuel is that value which equals the cost of the fuel consumed by a given vehicle travelling a given distance. In each case, unblended gasoline, a gasoline and ethanol blend or hydrated alcohol alone are the alternative fuels used. Ethanol's economic value as feedstock for producing ethylene is defined as that which makes the revenue from the ethylene derived from alcohol equal to the total revenue of products resulting from thermal cracking of 1 m/sup 3/ of naphtha. In this paper it is shown that ethanol's highest value corresponds to its use as hydrated alcohol feedstock for ethylene production. However, present tax laws and subsidies favor ethanol fuel use. 4 refs.

• Research Organization: Cent de Tecnol Promon, Rio de Janiero, Braz
• OSTI ID: 6748519
• Journal Information: Hydrocarbon Process.; (United States), Vol. 61:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
BRAZIL
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
ETHANOL FUELS
ETHANOL
USES
AUTOMOTIVE FUELS
CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS
ECONOMICS
ETHYLENE
LEGAL ASPECTS
NAPHTHA
ALCOHOL FUELS
ALCOHOLS
ALKENES
COAL TAR OILS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISTILLATES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
LATIN AMERICA
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DISTILLATES
PETROLEUM FRACTIONS
SOUTH AMERICA
SYNTHETIC FUELS
090200* - Alcohol Fuels- (-1989)
299003 - Energy Planning & Policy- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation- Other- (-1989)