Biodiesel from Castor Oil Takes Less Energy

The Casor Bean grows easily, is drought tolerant, and researchers find it is easier to convert to biodiesel than other plant oils.Energy in a Castor Bean:
by Mario Osava -- tierramerica.net -- 2003

..."But its major market is beginning to open in the energy field, with the growth of biodiesel," says Napoleao Beltrao, who has spent the last 18 years studying the properties of castor oil at the state-run Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA) at its labs in the northeastern city of Campina Grande, in Paraíba state.

"Castor oil is the best substance for producing biodiesel because it is the only one that is soluble in alcohol, and does not require heat and the consequent energy requirement of other vegetable oils in transforming them into fuel, Beltrao explained to Tierramarica."

Brazil's Dual Fuel Cars will burn up to 100% Ethanol

Brazil has a long history of building and using cars that run only on Ethanol, usually produced from sugarcane. The new Brazillian 'total flex' cars will be based on that technology, but be able to use any blend of ethanol and gasoline or 100% of either.Dual Fuel Cars Revive Brazil's Alcohol Industry:
by Mario Osava -- tierramerica.net -- 2005

There are nearly two million 'flex fuel' cars in the United States, but there the process 'is different because they use a mix with a maximum of 85 percent alcohol,' which obligates adding 15 percent gasoline, noted Joao Alvarez Filho, Volkswagen manager for engines and transmission.

The new Brazilian models can run on just gasoline, or 100 percent alcohol, or any proportion mix of the two, he said in a coversation with Tierramarica. The company prefers to call this innovation 'total flex', to reflect the true range of possibilities.

The Brazilian advantage was to develop the dual fuel-based on cars that run exclusively on alcohol, which the country has produced for more than 25 years, a pioneer in the technology.

Ethanol is Most Environmentally-Friendly of Fuel Cell Fuel Alternatives

Includes link to the RFA publication with details about using ethanol as a fuel for fuel cells.RFA - Press Release -- NEW RFA PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL SYNERGIES FOR ETHANOL AND FUEL CELLS:
Renewable Fuels Association -- September 4, 2002

WASHINGTON, DC -The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today released a white paper highlighting the potential synergies for ethanol and fuel cells. Ethanol is easily stored and dispensed in the current fueling system and generates fewer greenhouse gas-forming emissions than conventional fuels. Tests have demonstrated that ethanol is more efficient to reform than gasoline to provide hydrogen for fuel cells.

Growing Energy on the Farm: Biomass and Agriculture

Includes a nice list of links to resources for biomass and energy farming.Growing Energy on the Farm: Biomass and Agriculture:

Tripling U.S. use of biomass for energy could provide as much as $20 billion in new income for farmers and rural communities and reduce global warming emissions by the same amount as taking 70 million cars off the road.
Many farmers already produce biomass energy by growing corn to make ethanol. But biomass energy comes in many forms. Virtually all plants and organic wastes can be used to produce heat, power, or fuel.

After Oil: Alternative energy slow to take hold

After Oil: Alternative energy slow to take hold - Oil & Energy - MSNBC.com:
by John W. Schoen, Senior Producer -- MSNBC -- July 28, 2005

Thirty years after the "oil shocks" of the 1970s signaled the end of cheap, reliable supplies of oil, the global economy is still dependant on petroleum. And despite billions of dollars in research grants and government subsidies, no alternative energy source has yet been developed to replace it.
Now, with oil prices at $60 a barrel and supplies tighter than they were 30 years ago, analysts, scientists and businesses working to develop alternatives say it will be decades, at least, before the global economy's reliance on oil can be broken.

Chevron Web SIte -- Discussion of Energy Issues

This Chevron SIte includes information on Energy use, supply, population, and environment. Includes a discussion board. Some sections take a while to load, but it's worth it.
Chevron - Will You Join Us - Home

Turning tallgrass to fuel grass

Science news: Turning tallgrass to fuel grass:
By Mike Krapfl -- Iowa State University -- April 2005

He's written a textbook about biorenewable resources.
He's been photographed in the Iowa tallgrass he's turning into fuel gas.
And he's leading an initiative launched in 2002 by Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy that's looking for ways to turn crops and plants into chemicals, fuels, fibers and energy

Group Promotes Community Based Renewable Power

Ontario Sustainable Energy Association:

Why Community Power?
In conventional energy systems, like that of Ontario, at least 75 cents of each energy dollar leaves the local economy. Community green power developments provide an excellent opportunity to help keep energy dollars at home while at the same time helping the environment by providing green power. Community green power projects can generate local jobs, favourable investment opportunities, benefits for local businesses, opportunities for education and greater capacity at the community level to bring about change.
People living locally know their communities best. An understanding of local environmental and economic issues is important in assessing the true costs of current sources of energy generation and opportunities for positive change. By participating in community power projects, momentum for change grows. The capacity of the community builds with new knowledge and networks form for future sustainable community projects.
Community power brings increased local control, knowledge and jobs while fuelling the local economy and creating opportunities for improving air quality in Ontario.

Prospects for a Billion Ton Biomass Feedstock Supply

This site is a gateway to biomass research information developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They have an extensive program of biomass and bioenergy research. They have available a new PDF document entitled "Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply." It explores the potential for US biomass under 3 schemes: 1) current biomass available for energy 2) biomass potential with technical advances in growing existing crops 3) Biomass potential with technical advances and added cultivation of switchgrass and other crops suited to sustainable biomass production.
Bioenergy Information Network

Farmers Adjusting to Long-Term Higher Energy Costs

US Farmers have done much to reduce inputs even in an era of cheap oil. As petroleum becomes more expensive, conservation will be a necessity for the survival of farming operations.
Leopold Center - Taking a long look at short supplies - Spring 2001 newsletter:
Fred Kirschenmann -- Leopold Letter -- Spring 2001

Energy conservation may be one fruitful avenue for farmers to pursue in the immediate future. We all learned that we could dramatically reduce our energy use during the energy crisis of the 1970s. This strategy, more than anything, helped us survive temporary energy shortages. Of course, farmers can't just shut down their tractors. But we can reduce tillage, judiciously use petroleum-based inputs and adopt better management practices to decrease purchased inputs.
A 1993 North Dakota State University study comparing the performance of conventional, no-till and organic farms offered some interesting conclusions. It showed that when total energy flows were considered, no-till farms consumed 30 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts. Organic farms consumed 70 percent less energy than conventional farms, and yields were comparable for all three farms. No-till and organic management may not be for everyone, but this study supports the idea that farmers may be able to adopt practices that can curtail energy costs, conserve soil and water, and still produce optimum yields.

Effective Microorganisms Could Improve Energy Balance for Biofuel Crops

Any system of energy production seeks to minimize inputs and maximize output in order to produce the best possible energy balance. With crops for biofuels, this means getting the best balance of fertilizer and other inputs inputs versus crop yield. The energy of the sun makes a positive energy balance possible, though much more energy is available than plant photosynthesis utilizes. The article below discusses a method of introducing an ideal population of beneficial microorganisms to the soil in order to maximize yields. Some of these microorganisms are photosynthetic or nitrogen fixing, capable of increasing yields and improving the energy balance with better utilization of available soil nutrients and atmospheric nitrogen. This could help make energy farming more viable.
BENEFICIAL AND EFFECTIVE MICROORGANISMS:
by Dr. Teruo Higa and Dr. James F. Parr -- 1994

...Although the potential utilization rate of solar energy by plants has been estimated theoretically at between 10 and 20%, the actual utilization rate is less than 1%. Even the utilization rate of C4 plants, such as sugar cane whose photosynthetic efficiency is very high, barely exceeds 6 or 7% during the maximum growth period. The utilization rate is normally less than 3% even for optimum crop yields.
Past studies have shown that photosynthetic efficiency of the chloroplasts of host crop plants cannot be increased much further; this means that their biomass production has reached a maximum level. Therefore, the best opportunity for increasing biomass production is to somehow utilize the visible light, which chloroplasts cannot presently use, and the infrared radiation; together, these comprise about 80% of the total solar energy. Also, we must explore ways of recycling organic energy contained in plant and animal residues through direct utilization of organic molecules by plants (Higa and Wididana, 1991a)...

Missouri's Largest Biodiesel Production Facility Announced

Missouri's Largest Biodiesel Production Facility Announced:
ADM Press Release -- admworld.com -- April 26, 2005
MEXICO, MO -- Mid-America Biofuels, LLC, has announced plans to build Missouri's first major biodiesel production plant in Mexico, MO. Mid-America Biofuels, LLC is a joint venture of Biofuels, LLC, a farmer-owned biodiesel business based in Jefferson City, MO; Ray-Carroll County Grain Growers, Richmond, MO; and MFA Oil Company, Columbia, MO...

The facility will have a nameplate capacity of 30 million gallons of biodiesel production per year and will use soybean oil as feedstock.
Biodiesel demand is growing rapidly, and we believe Missouri is the right place to produce biodiesel and fill that demand, said Warren Stemme, St. Charles-county farmer and president of Mid-America Biofuels...

This is excellent news for growers, processors, our economy and our environment, said Paul B. Mulhollem, President and Chief Operating Officer of ADM. This project demonstrates how farmers and processors can partner for growth and success while also extending our nation's energy supply. We are pleased to leverage the extensive experience and tremendous success that ADM has had in the biodiesel market in Europe. The anticipated extension of federal support will serve as a vital catalyst to develop demand for biodiesel in the United States.”
Biodiesel, produced from renewable fats and oils such as soybean oil, works in any diesel engine with few or no modifications. It offers enhanced lubricity and octane, plus similar horsepower and torque when compared to petroleum diesel...

Ethanol From Cornstalks and Switchgrass Could Come to Missouri

Ethanol production from cellulosic materials such as cornstalks, switchgrass, and fast growing trees could increase world ethanol output tremendously. Research initiatives like the one mentioned below are trying to perfect the technology to make the refining process viable. We will also need to develop optimum methods and crops for growing the feedstock to be made into ethanol.
New biotech firm considers move to Northwest:
Northwest Press Release -- nwmissouri.edu -- July 20, 2005

MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The Missouri Center of Excellence for Plant Biologics at Northwest Missouri State University is negotiating with a second biotechnology company considering a move to Maryville.
Edenspace Systems Corp., headquartered in Dulles, Va., uses living plants to create systems designed to improve human health, detoxify soil, improve water quality and otherwise enhance the environment...
The company is also involved in a biofuels initiative that has received funding through the U.S. Department of Energy. It is this effort that would move to the center, a bioscience business incubator under development on the Northwest campus...
Bruce W. Ferguson, Edenspace' chairman, president and chief executive officer, said Northwest is a promising candidate for the expansion, and that a final decision is likely within the next three months...
The company, said Ferguson, is experimenting with technologies that utilize a larger portion of plant biomass, including stalks and leaves. Such methods, he said, hold the key to more efficient biofuel production by increasing potential ethanol yields per acre of farmland.
Expanding the amount of usable biomass and reducing reliance on grains, he said, opens up the process to perennials, such as switchgrass, that don’t have to be replanted every year...

Study predicts spending surge for offshore wind energy

This story mentions prototype wave and tidal energy projects as well as wind.
Oil & Gas Journal - Study predicts spending surge for offshore wind energy:
By OGJ editors -- July 20, 2005

HOUSTON -- Offshore wind energy installations, mainly off Europe, will attract $13.6 billion in investment during the next 5 years, predicted analysts Douglas-Westwood Ltd. in a market study published in mid-July.
The report says the offshore wind energy industry is set for strong, government-backed growth. It forecasts installations totaling 7,700 Mw -- about the energy equivalent of 7 nuclear power stations.

Missouri College Builds 100% Solar Powered Homes

Energy conservation lessons from Denmark.
Professor: Energy efficiency needed:
Wes Johnson -- News-Leader.com -- July 15, 2005

Crowder College expert tells task force of huge gains made by Denmark in conserving.
The statistic Art Boyt shared Thursday night was sobering.
During a recent trip to Denmark, Boyt, a Crowder College professor and director of the Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, said he took a close look at a large wind-power turbine.

The giant machine generated enough electricity to serve 3,000 Danish homes, a Danish engineer told him.

"He was shocked when I told him it would only serve 1,000 U.S. homes," Boyt said.

The point: Americans can do a lot to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and buildings and still live a comfortable lifestyle...

Crowder College already has built two homes that are powered 100 percent by the sun. Boyt said the MARET center will take that concept even further by developing a retirement community on campus where all the homes and even the cars are powered by the sun.

Anti-Ethanol Study Roasted

Colorado experts doubt authors' methods :
By Gargi Chakrabarty -- Rocky Mountain News -- July 19, 2005

Colorado experts on Monday debunked a new study that says alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel burn more energy than they produce.
The study, by researchers at Cornell University and the University of California-Berkeley, said 29 percent more fossil energy, such as oil or natural gas, is required to turn corn into ethanol than the amount of energy the process produces.

The study also said it takes 27 percent more energy to turn soybeans into biodiesel fuel and more than double the energy produced is needed to do the same with sunflower plants.
'Ethanol production in the United States does not benefit the nation's energy security, its agriculture, the economy or the environment,' said the study by Cornell's David Pimentel and Berkeley's Tad Patzek. They conclude the country would be better off investing in solar, wind and hydrogen energy.
Those results raise important issues for Colorado, where investors are pumping millions of dollars into two new ethanol plants in Weld County and a new biodiesel refinery in Monte Vista...

Pimentel and Patzek included in the study such factors as the energy used in producing the crop, costs that were not used in other studies that supported ethanol production.
The study also omitted $3 billion in state and federal government subsidies that go toward ethanol production in the United States each year, payments that mask the true costs"...

Turning New York's Wood into the Energy of the Future

Turning New York's Wood into the Energy of the Future
SUNY -- January 13, 2005

We know our sources of fossil fuel aren't going to last forever," Dr. Thomas Amidon said. "The new Biorefinery process will allow us to substitute a sustainable energy source: wood."
During the last few years, Amidon collaborated with students ranging from a home-schooled high school student to ESF doctoral candidates to devise a new and subtler method for separating wood into its components.
Chief among those components is cellulose, the polysaccharide (sugar) that is the single strongest, most widely used component of woody plants. In the context of a paper mill, cellulose becomes pulp for use in making paper. The second largest component of hardwood trees is the polysaccharide xylan, which is primarily dissolved in the pulping process.
"The real value in that sugar," Amidon said, "was never exploited. Once fermented, the sugar xylan can produce ethanol, which can be used in cars instead of, or in combination with, traditional gasoline."
Although the energy factor is the focus of attention now, as the state steps up its development of alternative fuel sources, there is a second benefit to the process. In addition to extracting sugar from the wood, scientists can separate out the wood's acetic acid, which is used primarily in manufacturing. A major use of acetic acid is the manufacturing of polyvinyl acetate, a plastic used in many aspects of home construction, and many other consumer products. The commercial value of acetic acid is nearly three times that of ethanol: 45 cents per pound as opposed to 18 cents per pound.

US Biodiesel and Ag Groups Try to Block Palm Oil

Green Car Congress: US Biodiesel and Ag Groups Try to Block Palm Oil
July 17, 2005 -- Original Source, Des Moines Register

The Des Moines Register reports that the American Soybean Association and the National Biodiesel Board are attempting to have the IRS explicitly exclude palm oil from the list of virgin oils to which the new biodiesel tax credit applies.
The two groups are concerned about the potential for lower-cost palm oil, imported from Malaysia and Indonesia, to encroach into the US market. Fediol, the EU’s vegetable oil federation, recently speculated that palm oil could supply up to 20% of the EU’s biodiesel needs by 2010. (Earlier post.)

There’s little indication that palm oil is headed here for fuel use anytime soon, and there are questions about how well it would work in fuel. Still, palm oil now costs several cents a pound less than soybean oil, and that has farmers worried.

Building a Biodiesel Plant? Expert Advice Available

Bargain biodiesel advice:
by Dan Looker, Farm Business Editor -- Agriculture.com -- July 18, 2005

Thinking about plunking thousands into a new biodiesel plant? You can become an informed investor. Visit www.AscendantPartners.com, a Web site formed by three former CoBank staffers with a lot of experience in financing start-up ethanol and biodiesel plants.
Part of the site offers free information. For $495 you can get a prefeasiblity study on par with pricey consulting, except that it's not site-specific. 'Before you spend $40,000 to do a feasibility study, it makes sense to see if it's even possible,' says Mark Warren, one of the site's founders.
'We see the biodiesel industry in the same place the ethanol industry was 10 years ago,' Warren told Agriculture Online. 'There's a lot of misinformation about the industry. And the information is fragmented. What this does is put it all under one roof.'

sustainablog: Defending Biofuels

sustainablog: Defending Biofuels:
July 06, 2005

With the rash of recent reports claiming that biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel aren't all they're promised, members of the Sustainable Blogosphere are questioning the questioners...

State helps finance study on Kansas biodiesel plant

State helps finance study on biodiesel plant LJWorld.com: "
by Mark Fagan -- Lawrence Journal-World -- July 7, 2005

Efforts to build a $20 million biodiesel production plant in Douglas County are picking up state support. The Kansas Department of Commerce has agreed to help finance a feasibility study for a proposed plant, said Lynn Parman, vice president for economic development at the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. The department is providing $40,000 through its value-added loan program. Leaders of the chamber's New Horizons Agriculture Alliance hope to build a
plant that could employ more than three dozen people and pump out 20 million gallons of fuel each year.

Biodiesel Great for Truckers and Farmers

An extensive and article on biodiesel marketing and use by truckers in the US, but from a UK perspective.

Biodiesel is Willie's Surprise Drivetime Hit: "
Andrew Gumbel -- the lndependent/UK -- July 9

Carl's Corner, Texas -- Carl Cornelius isn't just interested in offering truckers a place to fill up their 18-wheelers and hang their hats for a while along the long, lonely highways of northern Texas. He is intent on starting a revolution. Carl is the irrepressibly colorful owner and impresario of Carl's Corner, a truck stop 60 miles south of Dallas that has been drawing drivers for more than 20 years with its lavishly welcoming restaurant...
Now he has a new attraction to offer: biodiesel fuel. The idea of powering trucks and cars with vegetable oils and animal fats may not
be new in Europe, but in the United States - especially a United States
uncomfortably aware of its dependence on Middle Eastern oil in the wake of the 11 September attacks - it is both a novelty and a cause of growing excitement. Truckers who have tried it love it because it is cheaper than petroleum diesel, gives them better mileage and cleans out their engines. Farmers are excited because it offers them the prospect of a brand new market for their products - especially now that concern over mad cow disease threatens to restrict or cut off food-related uses of animal...

Journal article considers peak oil factors not accounted for in Hubbert's model

Using Hubbert's model with added factors, this author predicts a world production peak by 2025.

Hubbert's Model: Uses, Meanings, and Limits-2:

The mathematical model of M.K. Hubbert successfully predicted the peak of oil production in the US even though the logistic growth curve on which it is based cannot account for the physical, political, and economic factors that govern actual production. The first part of this article introduced a number of those factors, which will be elaborated here to demonstrate their influence on
applicability of the model (OGJ, June 6, 2005, p. 22).
These and other limitations-including the uncertain nature of resource estimates-must guide use of Hubbert's model in production forecasts...

Some forecasters19 20 21 have used proprietary reserves data in conjunction with Hubbert's model or derivatives of this model to estimate future world oil production trends. It is now possible to
use publicly available resource estimates based on the best available science and technology14 and different modeling approaches to estimate a peak year for world oil production.22 23 24 All of these approaches indicate that one should expect a peak in conventional world oil production due to resource constraints alone by 2025 or earlier. Non-OPEC production should peak due to resource
constraints much earlier, between 2010 and 2015.

However, producer cooperation is a critical requirement for the validity of all of these models. Given the political factors associated with current world oil production, it is essential that anyone interested in future production make some attempt to evaluate the likelihood of continued cooperation as an increasing number of
producing basins reach maturity and begin to decline. It seems increasingly clear that this factor, not resource-constrained production, will actually determine the time period in which petroleum supply will not match demand...

Biodiesel plants cheaper to build than than Ethanol

Biodiesel industry taking off:
by Andy Bell -- Delta Farm Press -- July 14, 2005

A cross-section of representatives from legislators, offices, oil companies, and Farm Bureau and soybean producers from several states met recently to discuss new developments at the first USDA sanctioned biodiesel plant in Mississippi. Jimmy Chiles, chief operating officer of the refinery Biodiesel of Mississippi Inc., Nettleton, Miss., told the audience that biodiesel-derived from plant oil and particularly soybean oil, is currently profitable for producers and suppliers, as well as less expensive than petroleum for truckers, farmers and other users. Its economic advantage is due in large part to the federal government, which offers a $1 tax credit reimbursement for every gallon of biodiesel burned, as a well as an additional blending credit that pays 20 cents a gallon up to a 20 percent biodiesel blend (or $4 for 100 gallons of B20 mix)...

Under the bio-energy program, part of the 2002 farm act legislation, $150 billion (currently $100 billion) — has been earmarked toward subsidizing bio-energy plants. However, that program could expire by September 2006, placing potential investors in the industry in an unfavorable position.

William Tacker, owner of the refinery in Nettleton, which produces 60,000 gallons of biodiesel daily, said most experts and officials seeking to boost alternative fuel sources are focusing on ethanol plants.But, he said, for the cost of every ethanol plant built, five biodiesel refineries (at a cost of about $3 million each) can be constructed. “Financially, you can build a refinery and pay for it in one month,” he said. “But money management is the problem.
“If you go to the bank to borrow money on a government program that could go out next year, the banker is not too happy.”

Due primarily to the high cost of crude oil and environmental friendly advantages of burning biodiesel, demand remains high.

House to Run on Solar Energy Stored as Hydrogen

One man's castle runs on hydrogen - MSNBC.com:
by Maggie Galehouse -- Associated Press -- May 30, 2005

Phoenix -- Beaulieu's home will trap sunlight in solar panels and convert it to electricity. That electricity will run a washing machine-size appliance called an electrolyzer, which separates water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The hydrogen will be trapped in high-pressure tanks and run through an electric generator, producing a clean electricity that keeps lights, computers, ceiling fans -- whatever the family needs -- humming.
The solar panels will soak up tens of thousands of watts of energy during the day and store it for evening, when the family needs more power.

New fuel cell converts biofuels to hydrogen on the go

Looks like a cool motorcycle at least, but could its new hydrogen fuel cell be a major breakthrough? It's worth following, and could have advantages connected with emissions and ability to use a number of different biofuels. Perhaps this technology will really shine in other power applications, depending on the efficiency of the biofuel to hydrogen conversion process.

Cheap and clean: Emissions neutral vehicle getting rave reviews:
by Jeremy Loome -- Edmonton Sun -- July 10, 2005

Harry Bradbury's new toy is a motorcycle that could run on sunflower oil, is nearly silent at 80 kmh and produces no emissions save drinkable water. It looks like something from a James Bond movie, minus the front-mounted machine guns. Bradbury is the CEO of Intelligent Energy, creator of the ENV (it's pronounced 'envy') motorcycle. The ENV gets its name from being an Emissions-Neutral Vehicle. It earns the title by running on hydrogen removed from bio fuels - anything from hemp oil to ethanol...

'It's going to be disruptive in the ways big business deals with oil and gas, particularly in the area that oil and gas would least like to hear, which is pure economics. It's much cheaper and completely clean.'

The bike is sleek, sporty and makes about as much noise as the fan on a PC. It's been ridden extensively by the British press, to raves.
It will retail, he expects, for about $7,500 and be available in North America by 2007...
The secret is the bike's hydrogen fuel cell, which Bradbury calls the world's most compact. It can even be removed and used to power other items.

Brazil biofuel strategy pays off as gas prices soar

Could a similar transition happen in the US?

Brazil biofuel strategy pays off as gas prices soar - washingtonpost.com
by Dan Morgan -- Updated June 18, 2005

PRADOPOLIS, Brazil - Outside the cavernous Sao Martinho refinery, the air smells of molasses as a quarter-mile-long caravan of trucks piled high with sugar cane waits to unload cargo, signs that the world's largest sugar harvest is moving into high gear.

Such bumper sugar crops have often meant worldwide gluts, low prices and headaches for politicians in the more than 100 countries where sugar cane is grown, but not this year in Brazil. About half the cane brought here will be made into ethanol as part of a 30-year gamble to substitute fuels made from crops for imported oil. As international oil prices soar, that bet has put Brazil at the forefront of a 'biofuels' movement in which many countries view sugar cane, corn, soybeans, beets, cornstalks and native grasses as cleaner, money-saving substitutes for oil produced in politically unstable countries. Ethanol is higher in power-producing octane than most gasoline and
can reduce tailpipe emissions of carbon monoxide and harmful particulates.