There’s no question that ethanol is a popular fuel choice in the United States, but what about the rest of the world? Doug Berven is the vice president of corporate affairs with POET.
“Yeah, around the world, it’s interesting, because gasoline and diesel are still popular choices, okay, but biofuels are coming on strong in many, many countries. In fact, last year, we set a record in exports around the world, from the United States, of bioethanol. This year, we’re on pace to break that record again. So, you’ve got countries like Brazil, where their minimum blend rate of ethanol is E30 now. Thirty percent ethanol is the lowest blend rate you can get at a gas pump. It’s either 30 percent bioethanol or 100 percent bioethanol. Believe it, that’s their choice. There is no E10 or E15. It’s 30 or 100 percent. That’s where our country needs to go, and many other countries need to go.”
What about other countries?
“Now, in India, they have just gone to an E20 blend rate nationwide. And interestingly, they have banned the use of sugarcane in the country to make ethanol, which is also a popular feedstock. If you make bioethanol out of sugarcane, you hinder the sugar market, so they’re banning sugar cane from being used and just using maize or corn in India. Canada is moving to E15 quickly. Japan is talking about E10 now. The EU, the UK, and Southern Asia are all moving to higher blend rates of ethanol.”
Other countries are discovering the advantages of ethanol.
“Number one, it’s less expensive. Number two, it’s clean. Number three, it reduces cost to the consumer. Number four, it’s perfectly fine for all cars. The good news is we’re seeing a greater implementation of higher blends of bioethanol around the world.”