1/ In the field of ethanol fuel application, Brazil is in an absolute leading position. Its widespread application not only eliminates the need for Brazil to import oil, but has even changed Brazil's economic structure. Brazil’s experience has brought many enlightenments to many countries. In particular, some venture capital investments in the United States have begun to conduct in-depth research on the true future value of ethanol fuel. They have tried to deny ethanol fuel by demonstrating various models and compared ethanol fuel with various green energy sources. comparison, but the results surprised experts. Their research found that ethanol fuel will eventually replace gasoline as the fuel of the future.
Many people may not know that ethanol can replace gasoline as a car fuel. In fact, more than 5 million cars in the world already use ethanol as fuel. These ethanol-fueled cars are not only more economical than cars using gasoline as fuel, but also emit almost no harmful greenhouse gases into the environment. As international crude oil prices soar and the hydrogen economy is far away, economists predict that only ethanol will truly replace gasoline as the green fuel that mankind depends on for survival in the future.
Technology, funding and policies have matured
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy released a forecast figure: They believe that by 2030, 30% of the U.S. automobile fuel consumption structure will be Ethanol fuel. But experts actually think we may not have to wait that long, as many people already recognize that ethanol will be a revolutionary fuel of the future. In the United States, from venture capital investors to Wall Street businessmen, from automobile manufacturers, environmental scientists to farmers, they no longer talk about whether ethanol can replace gasoline, but quietly take action. A large amount of money begins to flow to biorefineries, and car engines are also Hybrid engines were modified to burn ethanol and gasoline, and a large amount of research funding was invested in scientific research institutions to make ethanol production cheaper. Experts predict that in the next five years, as international crude oil prices continue to rise, ethanol will become a major energy solution in the world. They firmly believe that with the continuous advancement of technology, without increasing the area of cultivated land and changing people's Under the conditions of dietary structure, ethanol produced by using cellulose as the main raw material can completely replace petroleum to meet current human energy needs.
Although many people still believe that hydrogen energy will eventually replace fossil fuels, in fact the hydrogen energy economy is still far away. From hydrogen manufacturing to transportation, from hydrogen refueling stations to cars using hydrogen as energy, these investments add up to trillions of dollars, and ethanol fuel is a more realistic way to achieve it. Current gas stations require only a few modifications to add ethanol fuel, which contains 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Each vehicle only needs a $200 modification fee to use ethanol gasoline. In Brazil, 3/4 of new cars can use both ethanol and gasoline as fuel. Due to the use of large amounts of ethanol fuel, Brazil has completely got rid of the embarrassing situation of needing to import oil.
Because of the broad prospects of ethanol fuel, huge amounts of money are being invested in the ethanol fuel industry. ADM is the largest ethanol producer in the United States, producing more than 1 billion gallons of ethanol per year. In September last year, the company announced that it would expand its production capacity by 50%, which means it will produce 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol per year. Another venture capital firm, including Bill Gates, plans to invest US$2.6 billion to build a plant to produce ethanol fuel. This investment alone will increase US ethanol production capacity by 40%. Some automobile manufacturers and oil companies are not willing to be left alone. Ford Motor Company has begun to promote the transformation of ethanol fuel filling stations, and Shell is building the world's first large-scale ethanol production plant using cellulose as raw material in Canada. ExxonMobil has funded Stanford University's $100 million in new energy research, which has already yielded results.
However, the biggest supporter is the U.S. government. The U.S. government stipulates that ethanol manufacturers can enjoy a 51% tax rebate for every gallon of ethanol produced. This alone will allow ethanol manufacturers to It can increase revenue by US$7 billion, which will greatly stimulate the enthusiasm of manufacturers, greatly reduce the production cost of ethanol fuel, and promote the rapid promotion of ethanol fuel.
Ethanol fuel is very popular in Brazil
Brazil is the absolute leader in the application of ethanol fuel. Brazil is one of the most suitable regions in the world for growing sugar cane, and sugar cane is the best raw material for making ethanol fuel. Due to this natural advantage, Brazil is far ahead of other countries in the development and application of ethanol fuel. Compared with crude oil that requires long-distance transportation, ethanol fuel production plants are built next to farms rich in sugar cane, and the factory waste after producing ethanol fuel is directly incinerated to generate electricity, and the generated electricity is directly integrated into the power grid. Not only that, because Brazil has vigorously promoted the use of ethanol fuel for many years, ethanol fuel can be added to every gas station across the country, which in turn has driven the consumption of ethanol fuel. Due to Brazil's unique characteristics, starting in 2002, some automobile manufacturers such as Ford and Volkswagen tried to promote dual-fuel vehicles, which can use both ordinary gasoline as fuel and ethanol fuel. Once this car was launched, it was immediately welcomed by the Brazilian people.
In 2003 and 2004, ethanol fuel produced in Brazil was 45% cheaper than gasoline, which greatly promoted the sales of dual-fuel vehicles. In 2003, dual-fuel vehicles only accounted for 6% of the total market sales. Automobile manufacturers expect dual-fuel vehicles to reach 2005. The sales volume of fuel-powered vehicles will reach 30%, but the actual situation has surprised experts. In 2005, the proportion of dual-fuel vehicles was as high as 73% in new car sales. Currently, 1.3 million of the cars on the road in Brazil are dual-fuel vehicles. car.
The rapid application of ethanol fuel has changed Brazil’s economic structure. Since Brazil no longer needs to import oil, this cost alone has saved the country US$69 billion in foreign exchange. These funds have remained in Brazil, allowing Some rural areas became rich quickly by growing sugar cane. Currently, Brazil has built 250 ethanol fuel production plants in the southeastern region, and 50 more plants are under construction.
Ethanol fuel will be the ultimate outlet for green energy
Brazil’s experience has brought many enlightenments to many countries, especially some venture capital investments in the United States that have begun to conduct in-depth research on the future of ethanol fuel. They tried to deny the value of ethanol fuel by demonstrating various models and compared ethanol fuel with various green energy sources. The results surprised experts. Their research found that ethanol fuel will eventually replace gasoline as the fuel of the future. This reality will not only It’s happening in the United States, and it will happen in many countries.
However, even the most professional venture capital investors do not think that we can completely abandon gasoline in the near future. The oil-based industrial chain is so effective that it has penetrated into every aspect of our lives. In other words, it’s hard to get rid of our dependence on oil. On the other hand, many people also doubt whether ethanol obtained through fermentation of grains is enough to meet human needs for fuel. Many people are worried that mass production of ethanol from grains will change the human dietary structure. Some critics believe that from Obtaining ethanol from grains will consume more energy. The U.S. Department of Energy's final report quiets all the wranglers. The U.S. government believes that in terms of critical energy and positive environmental impact, ethanol produced from grains is clearly ahead of fuels produced from petroleum, while ethanol produced from cellulose will be ahead of the future. Will do better.
Ethanol produced from cellulose uses straw, turf and bark. The cellulose is not edible by humans and does not threaten the human food supply at all. Researchers use specific enzymes to break down cellulose into simple sugars, and then convert these sugars into energy. Cellulose is abundant in nature. The ethanol obtained from cellulose is very clean and can drive cars as effectively as gasoline. More importantly, we no longer need to reinvent cars. This will make our cars more efficient. If the industry continues to develop, it will not cause huge waste. At present, enzymes that can digest cellulose can be widely used in industry. For example, Tide washing powder contains enzymes that can break down cellulose, so that the washed clothes are cleaner. Experts estimate that enzymes have brought the cost of cellulosic ethanol down to $0.20 per gallon from $5 per gallon five years ago, and the only work now needed for ethanol-producing plants is to gain experience in large-scale production.
Relying on the efforts of enterprises alone is far from enough. The government's power in the promotion of new energy is of great importance. In order to accelerate the rapid application of ethanol fuel, the US government requires that the annual use of cellulosic ethanol fuel should reach 250 million gallons by 2013. In addition, experts also recommend that the U.S. government eliminate up to 54% tariffs on imported ethanol gasoline from Brazil. Since sugar cane is more suitable for making ethanol, the ethanol fuel produced in Brazil is cheaper. Lowering tariffs will enable more people to use ethanol fuel, and will also prompt more gas stations to be modified to supply ethanol fuel, further promoting the mass application of ethanol fuel. Many experts also believe that some oil company giants should increase their investment in green energy. Shell's investment in Russia alone is as high as 20 billion US dollars, and its investment in green energy pales in comparison.
Of course, the transformation of ethanol fuel from ideal to reality will not happen overnight. It took Brazil decades to start using ethanol fuel before international crude oil prices remained high before it achieved its current achievements. Expert tip: The sooner you start promoting ethanol fuel, the sooner you will be freed from the quagmire of oil dependence. The international crude oil price will never return to the price of 20 US dollars per barrel. With the rise of the world's emerging markets, the energy crisis will It will become more and more serious, and ethanol fuel is showing its unique charm as the only alternative to petroleum products.
2/Shandong Yucheng Longli Biotechnology Co., Ltd.’s bioethanol production project using modern biotechnology to enzymatically hydrolyze industrial fiber waste residue was approved by the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The total investment of the project is 162.11 million yuan, and the annual bioethanol production is 50,000 yuan. tons, this is the first approved cellulosic ethanol project in Shandong Province;
The 400,000-ton fuel ethanol renovation and expansion project is a major technical transformation project implemented by Jilin Fuel Ethanol Co., Ltd. With the vigorous promotion of ethanol gasoline for vehicles in Jilin and Liaoning provinces, sales of fuel ethanol products have steadily increased.
3/National Development and Reform Commission Industrial Department, "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" for the development of biofuel ethanol and ethanol gasoline for vehicles" and "Biofuel ethanol industry development policy"
4/How Obtaining ethanol from rice straw
In Ottawa, Canada, the world's first experimental plant for large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol is undergoing final commissioning. In the illustration, 1,000 pounds of rice straw first go through step 1 It becomes fluffy, then crushed in step 2 and then enters the "steam explosion" process (step 3). This step turns the straw into very tiny fragments, and then adds cellulase (step 4) to convert these fragments into sugar. These sugar substances undergo traditional fermentation procedures (step 5) and then distillation (step 6) to become high-purity ethanol. This ethanol can be turned into 35 to 35% by adding gasoline (step 7). 40 gallons of ethanol fuel for dual-fuel vehicles (step 8).
5/Good