An alternative fuel programme set up in the 1970s in Brazil has converted most of the country's cars to run on ethanol, saving billions in oil imports and cutting pollution. The current situation in Brazil is outlined where a fall in oil prices has made ethanol produced from sugar cane too expensive. Comparisons are made between the use of petrol, Proalcohol (ethanol), and gasohol (78% petrol, 22% ethanol). The setting up of the ethanol industry and the modifications carried out to car engines are outlined. The rise in use of Proalcohol up to the end of the 1980s is traced. In addition to price, Proalcohol's problems are political, in particular its distribution by the state-owned petrol monopoly. Benefits of the use of Proalcohol include the absorption of CO2 by new sugar cane and the use of the dry pulp for animal feed, fertilizer and electricity production.
Abstract