As an increasingly wealthy country, India is considering putting its growing reliance on foreign oil to good use by producing ethanol from its own farm waste. The country is also trying to reduce the air pollution in its major cities, such as New Delhi, which is largely caused by burning fossil fuels. By using ethanol instead of petrol, India could save as much as $415 billion a year on fuel costs and cut 2.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the new plant will be able to use 200,000 tonnes of rice straw, a common source of air pollution in India.
Ethanol from farm waste is a cheap alternative to gasoline and has a wide range of benefits. This biofuel is especially useful when combined with biodiesel, which is the most popular fuel in the U.S. Today, many vehicles are made from ethanol, but the demand for this fuel is still very high. Depending on how much biomass is produced, this could become the primary fuel used in India.
ePURE has 36 members, including 19 producers and 50 plants across 16 EU member states. Together, they produce 85% of the EU’s renewable ethanol. In addition, they produce high-protein animal feed and reduce the importation of soybean meal. This fuel source is also renewable, reducing the need for imported food. Its energy and carbon footprint benefits the world as a whole.
