Key Facts on Biodiesel, Ethanol
- From: "Blue Ridge Clean Fuels" <brcfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "VA Biofuels Forum list" <biofuels-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 09:47:20 -0400
FACTBOX - Key Facts on Biodiesel, Ethanol
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Minnesota on Thursday enacted a law requiring the state's diesel fuel to be
comprised of 2 percent biodiesel, part of a drive in the United States and
elsewhere in the world to encourage the use of "green" fuel.
Here are some key facts about biodiesel and ethanol:
* Biodiesel, which works in any diesel engine, is a clean-burning fuel
derived from any fat or vegetable oil. About 90 percent of US biodiesel is
made from soybean oil. It takes roughly 7 pounds (about 3.2 kg) of soybean
oil to make one gallon (about 3.8 liters) of diesel.
* Ethanol, an alcohol most often made from grains and sugar cane, is blended
with gasoline to reduce tailpipe emissions in cars and trucks.
* Biodiesel production capacity in Europe, mainly in Germany and France, has
risen sharply as countries try to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and cut
the bloc's dependence on fuel imports. The EU in 2004 set a target that
fuels should contain 5.75 percent of biofuels in 2010.
* Brazil is the world's leading producer and exporter of ethanol, derived
from its huge sugarcane crop. It already blends its domestic gasoline with
25 percent ethanol and is looking to US, Japanese and Indian markets to
boost exports.
* In the United States, the second-largest biofuel producer after Brazil,
hundreds of major truck fleets use biodiesel including all branches of the
US military, NASA, several state departments of transportation and public
utility fleets.
* China, the world's second-largest energy consumer, is also the
third-largest ethanol producer. The Philippines encourages use of coconut
oil for biodiesel.
* The International Energy Agency estimates that under the most optimistic
scenario ethanol could make up 10 percent of world gasoline by 2025.
Sources: Reuters; International Energy Agency.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32751/story.htm
**************************VIRGINIA BIOFUELS FORUM**************************
Your email address is subscribed to the Virginia Biofuels Forum mailing list.
The list is maintained by Blue Ridge Clean Fuels Inc. (BRCFI). To UNSUBSCRIBE
go to //www.freelists.org/list/biofuels-forum and select that option from
the menu.
PRIVACY POLICY: BRCF does not sell, rent or donate this mailing list to outside
parties.
List Administrator: BRCFI@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Other related posts:
- » Key Facts on Biodiesel, Ethanol
