Why Bioethanol is required?
The experience of developed countries in the world also indicates gradual elimination of MTBE and replacing with bioethanol as healthy octane enhancer in petrol. The quantity of producing fuel bioethanol in the world in 2019 was 110 billion liters per year (301 million liters per day). Except Brazil that produce cars which only use bioethanol as fuel, in the other ethanol producer countries ethanol is using as healthy octane enhancer in fuel which increases fuel quality of petrol without destructive effects for environment. Adding 10% of ethanol to petrol doesn’t require any alteration in Automobile fuel system while has a significant effect in petrol octane rating. Currently the average intermixture of ethanol in petrol is 10% in North America and on average it is 6% in European Union which should raise to 12% by the year 2020 AD according to the union’s plans.
In addition to North and South America and Europe, in Asia also India, China, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and even Africa and Australia developed investment trends in producing fuel bioethanol.
Different raw materials are using to produce ethanol in the world. In fact any natural substance which has sugar or starch in it can be used in producing alcohol, but grains, cane molasses and sugar beet has the most shares in production of ethanol.
The important point which increases attractiveness of producing ethanol from grains is production of DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Soluble) as a byproduct. The significant part of grains uses as feed for livestock and poultry in the world. In average 60% of grains are made from starch and the rest is protein, vitamin, fat, minerals and water. The main part for feeding and fattening livestock and poultry is protein, vitamin and minerals. In the process of producing alcohol only starch is transforming to alcohol and the remained materials (DDGS) after dehydration is transforming to a material which has high nutritional value for livestock and poultry.
In fact producing alcohol from grains not only creates a clean additive material for petrol but also an evolution in feeding livestock and poultry in American and European countries and made a specific attractiveness in alcohol manufacturing units’ economy. Mainly the grains which used in producing fuel bioethanol are also used for consumption of livestock and poultry for various reasons, so grains’ consumption cycle will not face risk accordingly.
In addition to ecological issue and human health replacing MTBE with fuel bioethanol is economically cost effective. Bioethanol will increase petrol octane rating 45% more than MTBE in the same volume, while bioethanol price in its highest point of value is equal to MTBE price. Therefore refineries by using bioethanol instead of MTBE will have access to lower gross price in addition to a better quality of petrol; so those countries which producing fuel bioethanol in high volumes (North, South America and Europe) have no limitation in product sales to refineries and also this product will widely welcomed by refineries.
Fortunately producing fuel bioethanol in Iran is strongly taken into consideration by Oil Ministry, parliament and environmental protection organization. Different tests performed by Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) on two subjects as ethanol effect on increasing petrol octane number produced in Iranian refineries and also possibility of using ethanol in Iranian automobiles. According to Research Institute of Petroleum Industry examination, comparison of increasing petrol octane number in case of adding MTBE and Fuel Bioethanol is as following table shows:
The above table shows that ethanol octane enhancer increase octane number about 45% more than MTBE in the same volume, means that in order to reach octane number 90 which is petrol desirable octane number, 15% MTBE should be added while for the same number only 10% ethanol is sufficient. Saving 5% in octane enhancer consumption considering minimum price of 1 dollar per liter for octane enhancer and 0.47 dollar per liter for petrol and 90 million liters Petrol consumption.
