Time to get behind bioethanol

Dr. Douwe-Frits Broens, speaking at the Connecting Clean Mobility conference in Arnhem, in the Netherlands, says that the future for bioethanol is bright. Potentially, 50 per cent of the transport fuel used in the Netherlands could come from bioethanol by 2012, he says.

But he goes on to warn that continuing arguments about which sustainable fuel is best are

threatening to de-rail the development of bioethanol.

Wasting time
“We shouldn’t be wasting time arguing about whether bioethanol is better than hydrogen, or which kind of bioethanol is the absolute best. The bottom line is that all bioethanol fuels are more sustainable than fossil fuels. That is the only comparison that matters. Moreover, in the short-to-medium term, bioethanol is the only available alternative to fossil fuels as far as transport is concerned,” said Broens.

Better than others
Other participants at the conference, held between 14th – 15th November, pointed out that there is no doubt that some green fuels are more sustainable than others, and that some bioethanol products are better than others.

Broens agreed, but reiterated his view that the debate about which specific product gives better results than the others is a distraction from the fundamental fact that bioethanol of any kind is preferable to traditional fuels.

Change in attitude
“The technology is already in place to make huge strides in the development of bioethanol-based solutions, but it needs a change in attitude if we are to achieve its potential,” said Broens.