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The Brazilian fuel-alcohol program
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1993
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EngineeringBioenergyFuture FuelAgricultural EconomicsPolicy AnalysisSynthetic FuelBiomassPercent EthanolHealth SciencesPublic PolicyBrazilian Fuel-alcohol ProgramBiomass EnergyEnergy CropForeign OilLight VehiclesSubstance AbuseBiofuel ProductionSustainable EnergyBioethanol ProductionFuel ProductionSustainable ProductionEnergy EconomicsInterfuel Substitution
The substitution of ethanol for gasoline in passenger cars and light vehicles in Brazil is one of the largest commercial biomass-to-energy programs in existence today. Engines that run strictly on gasoline are no longer available in the country, having been replaced by neat-ethanol engines and by gasohol engines that burn a mixture of 78 percent gasoline and 22 percent ethanol, by volume. Technological advances, including more efficient production and processing of sugarcane, are responsible for the availability and low price of ethanol. The transition to ethanol fuel has reduced Brazil`s dependence on foreign oil (thus lowering its import-export ratio), created significant employment opportunities, and greatly enhanced urban air quality. In addition, because sugarcane-derived ethanol is a renewable resource (the cane is replanted at the same rate it is harvested), the combustion of ethanol adds virtually no net carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and so helps reduce the threat of global warming.