Web-Resol Tudo sobre Limpeza Urbana e Resíduos Sólidos!
Swiss cars could soon be running on a fuel based on agricultural waste, thanks to a project promoting essEnce5 – a mixture of bio-ethanol and petrol. The government – which favours the use of cleaner fuels – has decided not to tax the bio-ethanol produced in the project, called etha+. "When it comes to the production of biofuels, Switzerland lags far behind, even if the country is waking up," said Thomas Schmid, from the Swiss Farmers Union.
Alcosuisse, a division of the Swiss Alcohol Board, has announced plans to build the first bio-ethanol production plant in Switzerland by 2008. Annual production of bio-ethanol, which reduces the polluting effects of petrol, should reach 45 million litres. "Bio-ethanol is an ideal product because it can be made commercially available immediately, without having to modify petrol stations and vehicles," alcosuisse director Pierre Schaller told swissinfo.
The etha+ project consists of adding five per cent ethanol to conventional petrol. Alcosuisse says the resulting essEnce5 mixture has two main benefits: it reduces both the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases. Ambitious essEnce5 should be on the market by the beginning of next year but the project‘‘s overall – and ambitious – aim is to replace all petrol sold in Switzerland with essEnce5 by 2010. Schaller says that the price of the new fuel would be similar to current petrol prices or maybe "a few centimes more expensive".
EssEnce5 is already in use in several other countries, including Brazil, the United States and Sweden. But the Swiss pilot project is unique thanks to its "multi-raw-material" plant. This means that ethanol will be produced from a variety of agricultural products, ranging from downgraded potatoes and beet molasses to flour mill waste and diary by-products.
The Swiss petroleum association has expressed support for biofuels. Director Rolf Hartl says that these fuels are considered to be among the most attractive alternatives to petrol, especially as they do not harm car engines. "Carmakers and importers say that up to five per cent bio-ethanol represents no problem," said Hartl. Boost essEnce5 received a boost last month after the government decided to grant a tax exemption to bio-ethanol produced during the project. The exemption may also be included in the revision of the law on the taxation of mineral oils, which is currently in its consultation stage. "The revision of the law on the taxation of mineral oils anticipates a tax exemption for biofuels," said Lukas Gutzwiller from the Federal Energy Office.
Alcosuisse‘‘s Schaller says that this is a sign that the government is committed to promoting the use of bio-ethanol. The government has previously stated that it favours clean fuels as a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from road traffic. Kyoto Switzerland has signed the Kyoto Treaty, which is aimed at reducing the amount of CO2 emissions worldwide by ten per cent below their 1990 levels by 2010. According to Schaller, that is good news for the etha+ project. "By adding five per cent bio-ethanol to traditional petrol, we can reduce CO2 emissions by 4.5 per cent," he told swissinfo.
The director of alcosuisse added that if essEnce5 were to be used countrywide, it would reduce CO2 emissions by 600,000 metric tons – which would go a long way in helping Switzerland meet its Kyoto targets.
Biofuel production could also help the country‘‘s struggling farmers. The Eco Energie Etoy cooperative in canton Vaud has been successfully producing bio-diesel from colza oil for eight years. The Swiss car importers association says that, faced with rising petrol prices, more people are choosing diesel in Switzerland. Figures from the Association show that in the first nine months of 2004, 27 per cent of vehicles sold were diesel.
Artigos Relacionados
Check Also
Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains
Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...