Brazilian govt says ethanol reduces emissions by 73%
The Brazilian government has said that replacing gasoline with sugar-based ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 73 per cent.
Newspaper Valor published the report, by state firm Embraba, which says that the process of extracting and refining oil is more polluting than planting and processing sugar cane.
It took into account emissions from vehicles as well as the production, processing and distribution of the respective fuels and concluded that sugar-based ethanol is more environmentally-friendly than gasoline, the news provider reported.
Brazil is one of the leading producers and exporters of ethanol and in a recent meeting with the country’s leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, US President Barack Obama said he wanted to share the country’s expertise in this area as part of his plans to increase the use of alternative fuels.
In related news, the Brazilian government has announced that it is to auction off wind power projects for the first time in November.
