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BIOFUEL
Good
for the economy, the environment and the people!
In
the USA, Canada and Brazil, the ethanol industry is now the fastest-growing
energy industry in the world. Today, in the USA, ethanol is blended in 30 per
cent of the nation’s petrol. Ethanol has become a vital and ubiquitous
component of the US fuel market and has full support of the parent oil companies
including Mobil.
The
Renewable Fuels Association in the USA,
this year reported ethanol use consumed more than 1 billion bushels of corn in
2003 and reduced nearly 3 million tons of carbon monoxide, 300,000 tons of
ozone-equivalent volatile organic carbon, and 5.7 million tons of
CO2–equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. It would seem then that ethanol use
represents the only effective tool to combat greenhouse emissions from the
transport sector in the next 10 to 15 years.
By
not enacting public policies like the renewable fuels standard, and not
mandating ethanol-blended fuels at the pump, the Australian government appears
to have acted recklessly against Australia's interests. Such measures would have
increased the use of ethanol, boosted the sugar-cane industry, cut greenhouse
gas emissions as well as enhanced energy security, spurred rural economic
development and reduced harmful air pollution.
Adverse
impacts on health and well-being.
The
following highlights the growing body of international and Australian scientific
evidence of the risks posed to the public by traffic-related air pollution. The
coarse, fine and ultra-fine particles, gaseous irritants, and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) either alone or in combination are known to be
associated with:
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Inflammatory
lung diseases e.g., asthma, bronchitis and alveolitis
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Increased
cardio-vascular disease
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Risk
for exercise-induced heart damage
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Limited
blood flow and increased blood clotting
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Increased
mucous production and airway hyper-responsiveness
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Up
to a fifth of lung cancer deaths (USA) and accelerated tumour growth
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Premature
death
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Symptoms
of anaemia e.g., tiredness, headaches, fatigue and shortness of breath
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Low
birth weight and small head circumference of neonate
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Intra-uterine
growth retardation (for each 10 nanogram PAH’s /M3 increase)
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Certain
leukaemias,
eg from exposure to benzene
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Loss
in productivity, absenteeism from work and school
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Increased
sensitivity to bacterial products in airways
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More
severe common viral asthma, and
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Reduced
male fertility |
The
effect is a major increase in sickness-care costs to the nation’s health
budget. Reports show these costs mainly occur when levels of pollution are below
the national standard for particulate matter (PM).
The
Prime Minister is urged to put in place clear policies in support of measures
that immediately address and substantially reduce these risks to human health as
well as the escalating associated costs.
A
clear policy in support of the expanded use of renewable and alternative fuels
such as ethanol, biodiesel, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed
natural gas
(CNG) would represent the
introduction of known and proven measures to reduce these risks posed to human
health by petrol and diesel fuels. Ethanol is particularly suitable as it is
renewable and is not a carrier of toxic particles etc found in petroleum fuels
such as petrol and diesel.
Further
health impacts of traffic-related air pollution
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Traffic-related
air pollution remains a key target for public-health action overseas
including Europe, Britain, USA, India and Japan.
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In
a major study in Austria, France and Switzerland by Kunzli et al (2000),
air pollution caused 6 per cent of total mortality or more than 40,000
attributable cases per year. Traffic pollution accounted for more than
25,000 new cases of chronic bronchitis (adults); more than 290,000
episodes of bronchitis (children); more than 0.5 million asthma attacks;
and more than 16 million person-days of restricted activities.
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A
report published in September 2003 by the Australian
Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics disclosed that for Sydney,
an estimated twice as many people died as a result of vehicle exhaust than
the 267 road fatalities in 2000. The total cost of morbidity and mortality
due to vehicle pollution for this capital city alone in 2000 was
approximately $1.5 billion.
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Vehicle
emissions account for up to 65 per cent of urban air pollution.
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About
85 per cent of the particulate pollution of diesel exhaust is in the fine
mode, less than 1 micrometre (1/1000mm) diameter. Such fine particles are
respirable, mainly soluble, carry cancer-causing PAH's and remain
suspended in the atmosphere for days to weeks. |
Current
biofuels in Australia and overseas
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Ethanol
is mainly derived here from two renewable sources – fermentation from sugarcane
and ‘C’ molasses as well as starches in grains such as
wheat and corn.
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Brazil
is currently the largest producer of ethanol at 12-15 billion litres per
annum.
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Biodiesel
is derived from treatment of vegetable oil or animal fats.
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Canola
oil is our principal oil seed and is harvested in November and December.
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The
European Union in 2001 introduced a proposal to promote biofuels such as
biodiesel, bioethanol or hydrogen fuels. The Commission’s goal is to
increase biofuel use from two per cent in 2005 to 5.75 per cent in 2010
and 20 per cent by 2020.
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About
eight per cent of diesel fuel sold in Germany is biodiesel.
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Australia’s
Federal Coalition in October 2001 made a commitment to promote the use of
biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel to ensure biofuels provide two per
cent of our transport consumption by 2010. |
Other
advantages and benefits of ethanol-blended fuels
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Ethanol
contains 35 per cent oxygen. Adding oxygen to fuel results in more
complete fuel combustion, reducing harmful tailpipe emissions.
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Ethanol
also displaces the use of toxic petrol components such as benzene - a
carcinogen known to cause leukaemia.
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Ethanol-blended
fuels reduced the C02-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by about 3.6
million tons in the USA in 2001. i.e., equivalent to removing 520,000 cars
from roads.
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Ethanol
reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by as much as 25 per cent.
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The
American Lung Association of
Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended reformulated petrol with
reducing smog-forming emission in the city by 25 per cent since 1990. |
Experience
with biodiesel
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Emission
reduction for particles, CO and gaseous hydrocarbons but increases in
oxides of nitrogen (NOx).
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In
particulate emissions, the insoluble fraction (coarse mode) decreases
while the soluble fraction (fine mode) increases with a net reduction in
total PM. The soluble fraction can be reduced by using oxidation
catalysts.
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Biodiesel
fuel has a biomodal distribution of fine particles with a 30 per cent
reduction in the 0.05 and 0.1µm diameter particles, but remains the same
for larger and smaller particles.
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Recent
studies showed biodiesel can reduce emissions of particulate matter by 47
per cent when compared with petroleum in unmodified diesel engines.
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Biodegradation
of biodiesel is much faster than for diesel fuel.
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Studies
show that, for greenhouse emissions, biofuels substantially out-perform
fossil fuels (but to a lesser extent) gas fuels.
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Biodiesel
has significantly less ecotoxicity than diesel and ideal for sensitive
rural areas.
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USA
EPA report verified a 67 per cent reduction in unburned hydrocarbons and a
48 per cent reduction in CO2 levels with pure biodiesel (B100). Smaller
reductions (12 per cent) were obtained with 20 per cent biodiesel and 80
per cent petro-diesel. |
Assistance
needed
Assistance
is needed in the general development of the biofuel industry. This includes new
storages, crushers, refineries and associated infrastructure. In the USA, 15
refinery plants are under construction, adding to the 72-ethanol plants now
operating.
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Need
to legislate fuel standards to include renewable biofuels such as
biodiesel and ethanol-blended petrol.
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Address
the escalating costs of growing canola crops because of enormous amounts
of inputs, disease levels and diminished yields giving unprofitable
returns.
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There
is an urgent need to increase farmer confidence for canola and sugarcane.
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Long-term
excise relief (or domestic producers credit) is required to engender
confidence that lenders will have debts/loans re-paid.
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Capital
subsidy be provided for enhanced ethanol production to attract investment
capital from prospective owners. In the USA, farmer-owned ethanol plants
account for 40 per cent of total industry capacity.
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The
reduction in greenhouse gas by ethanol-blended petrol overseas is due, in
part, to the ”carbon cycle” whereby much of the carbon dioxide
released when ethanol-blended fuels are used is reabsorbed by the biomass
plants like sugar, wheat, corn during growth. These biomass plants provide
the feedstocks for ethanol production. |
To
date, the federal government seems to have acted indecisively, being caught out
badly dickering with the issue of alternative fuels. Ethanol provision, coupled
with other biofuels, will do more to bring new life to rural Australia than
anything passed through Parliament. Continued indifference by the federal
government may indeed cost the re-election of the federal Coalition, even though
the Opposition, to date, has been equally detached by putting personal and
political advancement above Australia's national interests.
In
the USA, Canada and Brazil as well as in other overseas countries, the oil
refining industry and the ethanol industry are working as allies, rather than
adversaries. In Australia, the same parent oil companies, it seems, through
insidious propaganda and intense lobbying activities, appear to have left their
fingerprints on sabotaging the political and educational policies needed to
adopt cleaner renewable biofuels.
With
record-breaking production of ethanol (91 per cent increase in 2003 over 1999
production) in the USA, president George W. Bush knows full well that his
commitment to biofuels such as ethanol is a way to enhance the national security
of USA to boost the economy as well as to protect the environment. The use of
biofuels reduces dependence on oil imported from nations that are hostile. The
Australian government, it seems, is placing confidence in its immense Timor Gap
oil reserves and in doing so is stifling the present opportunity and need to
move into alternative, cleaner biofuels.
Recent
tests conducted for the California Air
Resources Board indicate ethanol blends help reduce pollution by older
vehicles or cars with malfunctioning pollution control systems. Ethanol blends
reduce carbon monoxide and toxic cancer-causing hydrocarbons by 20 per cent and
fine particulate matter by 40 per cent from gross polluters under prescribed
conditions.
Ethanol
has a large and growing positive energy balance. It yields 134 per cent of the
energy used to grow and harvest the biomass e.g., corn and process it into
ethanol. By comparison, petrol yields only 80 per cent of the energy used to
produce it. Motor car manufacturers, here and overseas, approve the use of 10
per cent ethanol in reformulated fuel. Indeed, Ford, Chrysler and Mazda are
manufacturing overseas cars that will automatically compute to up to 85 per cent
ethanol in blended petrol.
The
federal government's inaction at the moment will ultimately make Australia
dependent in the future on imported energy supplies. The present policy will
continue to bankrupt the existing ethanol and biofuel producers as well as rural
Australia.
The
following are recommendations for immediate action by the federal government to
avert a crisis.
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In
support of the federal Coalition 2001 election commitment, expand the
market for domestically-produced renewable biofuels to reduce
Australia’s dependence on imported petroleum, spur rural economic
development creating new jobs and tax revenue, and improve environmental
quality by reducing emissions of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases.
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Enact
a more aggressive Renewable Fuels Standard than is currently in the
legislation, noting biofuels offer an immediate alternative to imported
fossil fuels. They are completely compatible with current transportation
infrastructure as petroleum blending components of stand-alone fuels and
in the longer term, are an ideal hydrogen source for fuel cells.
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Enact
legislation to use ethanol as an oxygenate in petrol and to reduce levels
of carcinogenic benzene.
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Enact
legislation that allows durable excise rebates for the greenhouse credits,
urban quality and health gains from ethanol and biodiesel in proportion to
their proven environmental and health benefits. |
To
date, in Australia, ethanol seems recklessly political. But in rural towns of
USA, Brazil and Canada, ethanol is about revitalizing rural economies, ethanol is
also about providing a cleaner, more secure future, ethanol is about the people.
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