Bio-ethanol is not a fuel contaminant

Our attention has been drawn to recent reports of “contamination” of imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by some oil marketers blamed on bioethanol. This short response is to give a technical refutation of that claim. Bioethanol is never a contaminant in PMS but rather a performance enhancer. If Nigerian vehicles developed any problem in using that imported PMS, then reasons should be found elsewhere in other contaminants but not bio-ethanol or any ethanol for that matter.

Bio-ethanol (chemically known as ethyl alcohol) is an alternative renewable “green fuel” made from biological sources such as sugar cane, cassava and maize. According to the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, bioethanol is a "clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic, agreeable odour". Ethanol is also a high-performance motor fuel that cuts poisonous exhaust emissions and is better for the environment. Bio-ethanol blends are increasingly used in South Africa, Brazil, Asia and the United States. Brazil, the world leader in bioethanol production, produces sixteen billion liters of ethanol a year. Nigeria’s total annual PMS consumption is just 11 billion litres per annum. All Brazilian PMS contains at least 20% ethanol, and much of the marketed motor fuel in the country is entirely ethanol (but the engines are slightly modified to run on 100% ethanol). Bioethanol has been produced in Nigeria by the Kaduna State Government Pilot Plant, in conjuction with the Science and Technology Forum, and the product blended to produce E10, E20, E50 and E100 and all were tested successfully in a small 1KVA generator.

Bio-ethanol is a much cleaner fuel than PMS (gasoline). It is a renewable fuel made from plant sources and unlike fossil-fuel, burning it does not increase the greenhouse effect. Bioethanol is a well known octane enhancer in PMS, at low cost, and is better alternative to harmful fuel additives such as MTBE, lead, etc. Ethanol is biodegradable and accidental spillage is without harmful effects on the environment. Ethanol's high oxygen content reduces carbon monoxide levels more than any other oxygenate: by 25-30%, according to the US-EPA. Ethanol blends dramatically reduce emissions of hydrocarbons, a major contributor to the depletion of the ozone layer. High-level ethanol blends reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 20%. Ethanol can reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100% on a full life-cycle basis. High-level ethanol blends can reduce emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by 30% or more (VOCs are major sources of ground-level ozone formation). As an octane enhancer, ethanol can cut emissions of cancer-causing benzene and butadiene by more than 50%. Sulphur dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions are significantly decreased with ethanol.  
Fuels that burn too quickly make the engine "knock". The higher the octane rating, the slower the fuel burns, and the less likely the engine will knock. When ethanol is blended with gasoline, the octane rating of the petrol goes up by three full points, without using harmful additives. Adding ethanol to gasoline "oxygenates" the fuel, adding oxygen to the fuel mixture so that it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions such as carbon monoxide. Ethanol is a much safer additive than the toxic and polluting MTBE fossil-fuel-derived oxygenator used by oil companies. Octane is not a measurement of power. Octane ratings are a measurement of the fuel's ability to resist engine knocking or pinging. The knock results from uneven burning of the compressed fuel-air mixture.

Ethanol has been recognized as a quality motor fuel since the design of the first automobiles because of its high octane and calorific value. Henry Ford designed the famed Model T Ford to run on alcohol -- he said it was "the fuel of the future". The oil companies thought otherwise at that time. However, the oil crisis of the early 1970s gave ethanol fuel a new lease of life. In fact the expansion of the Bioethanol Industry in Brazil was precipitated by the 1973 oil shocks. Nigeria has the potential of becoming a hub for biofuels production if necessary attention could be given to the development of indigenous technology in bio-ethanol production as was the case in Brazil, instead of wholesale importation. A situation whereby the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Nigeria has no functional fuel testing laboratory, as reveled at the recent Senate Committee hearings, is a serious matter and must be properly addressed. Ethanol is going to be the fuel of the very near future and we must put all hands on deck to develop capacity in this new technology. The effort of the Kaduna State Government must be commended and given the necessary support to expand.

Prof Idris M. Bugaje,

Science and Technology Forum, Zaria, Nigeria. Email: idrismbugaje@yahoo.com