Bioethanol

Whether you are a high counter who thinks corn ethanol is terrible or a low counter who thinks it’s great, it’s here to stay - Nathanael Johnson

Bioethanol
Bioethanol

image by: Government of Brazil

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The unpalatable truth about bio-fuels, hunger and political unrest

The justification for the production of ethanol from food is that it is an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based fuels in that it produces less CO2. When measured at the tailpipe, bioethanol does reduce CO2 emissions, but when the entire process of growing the product and producing ethanol is taken into account, a different picture emerges. CO2 is released in the production of ethanol through fuel for machinery, the production of fertilisers and pesticides, energy required for distillation, concurrent soil degradation and nitrous oxide release.

As a consequence, the net benefit is either minimal or in some cases, as with corn, produces more CO2 than just burning…

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 The unpalatable truth about bio-fuels, hunger and political unrest

In the past decade bioethanol production in both Brazil and the US has increased by around 300%. It’s estimated that the US now uses a third of its entire corn crop for the production of ethanol, whilst Brazil uses half of its sugar for the same purpose. This diversion of food to fuel is having a serious impact on the lives of many of those who live in the least developed and developing countries. As food is diverted to ethanol production, upward pressure is put on both inflation and the price of food globally.

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