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Special
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Written by Sabrina Deparine
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Monday, 12 October 2009 00:00 |
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Page views: 1396 |
Three big companies namely Royal Dutch Shell, Volkswagen and Canada’s Iogen Energy Corp. have forged a partnership to produce commercially-viable cellulosic ethanol motor fuel from post-harvest stalks of grass or other plants (or hay). .This new biotechnology utilizes special enzymes that break down the cellulose in farm-raised fibers. These are then converted to sugars which are fermented and distilled to produce ethanol.
This is deemed to be a better long-term solution to climate change and easing the dependency on fossil fuel than using food crops for the production of alternative fuels. The resulting cellulosic ethanol is able to perform as well as any other bio-derived ethanol products. However, there remain certain challenges for this new finding. For one, the capacity of a cellulosic ethanol production facility should be sized and located correctly in order to save up on shipping and transportation costs and also in other operational costs.
The new type of cellulosic ethanol was made available for testing last summer at the Ottawa Shell Station. Canadian motorists were the first in the world to load up on 10% cellulosic ethanol-blended gasoline made from wheat straw. The response from those who were able to try it was excellent. This is a good indication that the public is already ready and enthusiastic to use this new type of ethanol fuel.
Who knows? With further development and advancements, this new biotechnology may be adopted here in the Philippines and make use of other types of agricultural wastes and residues that are more widely-available locally to produce ethanol. At the moment, only a 10% ethanol-blended gasoline is available in the Philippine market and this is appropriate or compatible to almost all types of vehicles being sold in the country. With the possibility of cellulosic ethanol, the country can produce ethanol enough for higher blends, further lowering the country’s need for imported fossil fuel, increasing forex savings and helping save the environment to boot.
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