THE ROLE OF BIOETHANOL AS TRANSPORT FUEL IN AUSTRALIA

Essay by tepen84College, UndergraduateA-, April 2008

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There has been a significant increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution due to the continuing usage of fossil fuels. It has contributed to global warming that has become a worldwide concern in recent years. It is predicted that in the next 50 years, some cities which are located near the sea might experience increases in sea levels. Besides, the depletion of fossil fuels may lead to the increase of petroleum prices in the global market. However, some scientists believe that a new transport fuel should have three criteria; environmentally friendly, sustainable, and economic, to substitute conventional fuels that are commonly used today. Consequently, bioethanol has been presumed to be a potential alternative transport fuel to overcome these global issues. Moreover, Australia is one of the countries which contributes to limit the emission of green house gas. It is currently considering how to efficiently apply bioethanol as a transport fuel in the future.

This paper attempts to evaluate whether the role of bioethanol is the most reasonable to replace conventional fuels in Australia for the future. Firstly, the definition and the production of bioethanol will be covered. Secondly, positives and negatives of bioethanol which is based on four aspects; security of supply, environmental, social and economic impacts will be analyzed in order to identify the feasibility of this potential fuel. Lastly, the comparison between bioethanol and the alternative fuels which have developed recently, such as coal and hydrogen fuel, will be described.

Bioethanol is one alcohol product, ethanol, which is derived from agricultural sources including corn, barley, wheat, sugar cane and cellulosic biomass (trees and grass) using enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. As one liquid biofuel, bioethanol has characteristics such as clear, strong smell, soluble in gasoline, and high octane number (a unit which represents the...