Nation Urged to Hike Ethanol Production
by Bao Chang (China Daily) New process uses bio-waste instead of grains to make gasoline additive
China should boost its fuel ethanol industry as part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and oil dependency, said China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO), a State-owned food processor and manufacturer.
“Instead of posing a threat to China’s food supply, fuel ethanol will be in the spotlight of international energy consumption, as oil price hikes continue and environmental protection awareness grows,” Xinhua News Agency quoted Yue Guojun, assistant president of COFCO, as saying.
…Last week, the National Biofuel Research and Development Center was established in Zhaodong, Heilongjiang province, the headquarters of COFCO’s biofuel and bio-energy subsidiary developing cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from biomass such as corn stalks and perennial grasses.
…Funded by COFCO, the Danish biotech company Novozymes and Sinopec, China’s largest cellulosic ethanol factory will go into production in September in Heilongjiang province.
…The International Energy Agency predicts that global biofuel consumption will increase from 55 million tons of oil equivalent today to 750 million tons in 2050, raising biofuel’s share of the transportation fuel market from 2 percent to 27 percent. READ MORE