Today’s presentation by Biotechnologies Corporation has not demonstrated the economic efficiency of biological fuel. Exaggerated expectations have all gone even in the US, the world’s largest oil importer.
Alexander Kuznetsov, senior fellow with Russia’s Institute of Chemical Technologies tells Expert Online about the hidden pitfalls of manufacturing biological fuel.
Expert Online: Biotechnologies are willing to invest about $1.5 billion and build 30 factories by 2017. How economically justified is the decision?
A. K.: I believe experimenting with biological fuel makes sense only for scientific purposes. There are no economic or technological conditions for mass production of the product. Switching to biological fuel will only be justified when oil prices grow 1.5 – 2 times against their present level and only if grain crops do not get more expensive. Apart from that, effective enzymes that will transform wood and vegetable mass into fuel are only developed now.
E.O.: Are car manufacturers willing to adapt their engines to biological fuel? Will we be able to sell it even if we produce it?
Adapting the engines is not difficult. However, fuel tanks will have to be increased because energy intensity of biological fuel is different. Besides, we can only talk of component fuel consisting of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline. Biological fuel has other drawbacks that will certainly be unpleasant to motorists.
E.O.: What do you mean?
A. K.: It is difficult to drive a car if fuel freezes when temperatures go below zero. Specific consumption of biological fuel is also higher than that of gasoline.
E.O.: Is it possible that manufacturing biological fuel will lead to deficiency in grain crops and food?
A.K.: They utilize maize in the US, but we will use wheat. Manufacturing fuel from wheat will only make sense when there is abundance of it around. However, that is not the case in this country.
http://eng.expert.ru/ |
