The country’s dependence on imported oil is highlighted by its total importation rate of 96% to cope with local demand. With the rapid depletion of supply and unstable petroleum product prices, the government has started to lay the foundation for alternative sources of energy that are homegrown.
This is through the Biofuels Program which is being led by the Department of Energy (DOE).
A key component of the biofuels program is bioethanol - a blending of ethanol and gasoline to produce an alternative fuel called gasohol.
To fast track the implementation of this program, Pres. Gloria Arroyo officially launched the National Bioethanol Program in May 2005. For its legal framework, the Bioethanol Act of 2005 - currently pending in the Lower House (HB No. 4629) and in the Senate - has already been certified by the President herself as urgent.
Upon its enactment, it will mandate the blending of gasoline with bioethanol as motor fuel. Within two years from its effectivity, a minimum of five percent bioethanol by volume shall be blended into all gasoline to be distributed, sold and used as motor fuel. After which, the blending will go up to ten percent in the succeeding years.
Todate, however, there are already a few gasoline stations in the country selling gasoline mixed with ethanol at 10%.
According to the Philippine Fuel Ethanol Alliance, "with the phasing in of gasoline displacement under the National Bioethanol Program starting from the use of five percent blend of ethanol in gasoline from year 2007 to 2010 and 10 percent blend from 2010 to 2017, a total of 3.7 billion liters of gasoline will be displaced by an equal volume of ethanol over a ten-year period. From this, a total savings in foreign exchange of 825 million US dollars over 10 years or 82 million US dollars per year will be achieved."
As for infrastructure, the Philippines needs 25 ethanol-producing plants to meet projected local demand. Each plant will require
R1.5 billion in investments. To entice investors, the government, through the Development Bank of the Philippines, is offering at least R50 billion financing portfolio for renewable and indigenous-based energy projects.
Corn Ethanol Efficiency.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol can be produced from diversified carbohydrate-containing materials. To achieve sustainable energy production, agricultural products that are rich in starch or carbohydrate must be used as raw materials.
Corn, having 65% to 70% starch content, is one of the best and most efficient sources of ethanol. Brazil and the United States are the top ethanol producers in the world. In the US, ethanol is primarily from the starch in corn grains through a fermentation and distillation process that converts sugars to alcohol. In Brazil, ethanol is primarily from sugarcane through the same process that converts the sugars to alcohol.
Corn has the highest ethanol yield based on the conversion factor. From one metric ton of corn, 398 liters of ethanol can be produced. Sugarcane comes in second with an ethanol yield of 85.05 liters for every metric ton.
Ethanol production from corn also gives important byproducts. One of which is called Dried Distiller Grains with Solubles or DDGS, which is sold as protein supplement in livestock feed. For every metric ton of corn, 318 kilos of DDGS can be derived. In the US, 318 kilos of DDGS sells for the equivalent of
R1,426. Another byproduct of corn ethanol is liquid CO2 which is needed by beverage companies.
The use of corn as ethanol raw material will benefit a broad economic base consisting of thousands of corn farming families and rural-based businesses. High demand for corn grains would also help stabilize prices.
