The future of fuel
High oil prices and energy security are propelling governments and consumers alike to demand ethanol as fuel for cars.
Due to increasing demand for fuel ethanol, the market for enzymes used to produce the fuel is also growing rapidly. Not only is bioethanol a renewable resource; it also burns cleaner than gasoline and produces fewer harmful greenhouse gases.
Environmentally friendly by nature, the use of fuel ethanol has enabled the United States to phase out the gasoline additive MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) - a contaminant which has been found in drinking water in many parts of the country.
Bringing greenhouse gas emissions under control
Biofuels are currently the only currently available option for large-scale reduction of CO2 emissions from transportation. Use of ethanol in transportation helped reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20 million tons in 2008 alone - equivalent to taking more than 5 million cars off the road.
Mitigating climate change
Adding a 10% ethanol blend to ordinary gasoline results in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of 3–6%. Biofuels reduce the environmental impact from the transportation sector, one of the major contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing our climate.
Biofuel will also be key to reducing global CO2 emissions. Transport is responsible for a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions. That share is rising and biofuel is the only currently available way to effectively turn this tide. Already today bioethanol can help reduce CO2 emissions from transport with 30-90% compared to gasoline. When cellulosic bioethanol becomes available, it will reduce CO2 emissions by even more.
Creating jobs and economic development
Biofuel can create economic growth in rural areas and in developing countries. Its production generates jobs and income in developed as well as developing countries.
Boosting rural areas
Rural, agricultural areas in both developed and developing countries have the most to gain. Biofuels increase demand for agricultual products, create new markets, create new jobs, and increase food security.
Improving energy security
Biofuel is key to reducing our dependency on oil. In 2009 US ethanol production displaced the need for 364 million barrels of oil - equivalent to almost all the oil imported from Venezuela or a full 33 days worth of US oil import. In the future, biofuels can meet at least 25% of the global need for transport fuel without any significant increase in the acreage used to produce biofuel feedstock.
Becoming independent
The world needs to reduce its dependency on oil. Biofuel is based on renewable resources and can help reduce the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. In developing countries, the oil purchased to meet energy needs takes a significant amount of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), often leaving no money for other critical elements to move people out of poverty. By establishing a biofuel program, a developing country can start to release the strangle hold oil has on their finances, while at the same time building an agriculture and domestic energy industry that will net them revenue instead of depleting their coffers.
Getting greener
Biofuels have an important role to play in the world’s future, sustainable energy mix. Biofuel production from sugarcane, corn, wheat, or cassava is already green technology; advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, produced from agricultural residues, waste, or woody biomass, will be even greener. The industry is constantly improving technologies and processes – delivering increasingly green and sustainable energy.
