Biofuel in the Automotive Sector: Viability of Sugarcane Ethanol

Abstract

In Brazil, sugarcane ethanol competes directly with gasoline as a fuel for motor vehicles, emerging as a challenging biofuel to traditional fossil fuels. The problem this article solves and presents is the Return on Energy Investment (EROI) for the production cycle of first-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane in the central-southern region of Brazil, with the main objective to compare this EROI with the gasoline marketed in Brazil, as documented in the scientific literature. The methodology for the energy analysis of the ethanol production cycle is the ratio between the energy present in a quantity of sugarcane delivered for processing and the energy consumption required for the entire process. This analysis occurs from the agricultural phase through the distribution phase of ethanol for consumption, enabling the calculation of the EROI of sugarcane ethanol and a comparative assessment with the EROI values of the gasoline marketed in Brazil. The results for EROI of sugarcane ethanol fluctuate between 8.20 and 6.52. Therefore, for each unit of energy utilized in processing ethanol, 6.52 to 8.20 units of energy are available for end use. In contrast, the EROI values for gasoline range between 2.34 and 5.50, underscoring the competitive advantage of ethanol in this context.