DAR, CARP beneficiaries to play vital role in ethanol program

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) beneficiaries will play a vital role on ethanol production, said Aurelio “Lito” Lacson of the B.M. SB Integrated Biofuels Company in Negros.

Lacson said DAR should be instrumental in organizing CARP beneficiaries to form a cooperative that will serve as one of the local investors for the ethanol program in Negros.

“We have a lot of CARP beneficiaries at this moment. In order to make them viable, DAR should take a step in organizing them for ethanol production,” he added.

This as he stressed that putting up an ethanol plant needs a commitment from both small and big sugar producers to allocate at least 7,000 to 8,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations to maintain an average daily production of 120,000 liter ethanol per day.

“And unlike sugar production, ethanol production will require at least two harvest seasons of sugarcane every year,” Lacson said.

On the other hand, the B.M. SB Integrated Biofuels Company is planning to put up its maiden ethanol plant in Kabankalan City and in Murcia town.

Lacson said China’s CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. Has already committed to support them in their machinery requirements, among the other technologies needed after they put up the plant.

He said the agreement was already stipulated in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between officials of B.M. SB Integrated Biofeuls Company and CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. last month.

Meanwhile, Lacson is expecting that ethanol production will rake about $300,000 or P15 billion for the country in terms of yearly savings. The figure is based on the mandatory 5% ethanol blending on original fuel.

“The Philippines really has the potential to shine in ethanol production especially if we can establish seven to eight plants in two to three years,” he said.

“If it (ethanol production) will be a success, the Philippines will soon become a premier exporter of ethanol to China, Japan and Korea among the other countries in Asia,” he said.

What is ethanol

Based on research, ethanol may raise the levels of nitrogen oxides produced as gasoline emissions, depending on the ethanol/gasoline blend.

Because of its lower energy content relative to gasoline, ethanol reduces mileage per gallon.

Aside from sugarcane, corn could also be a potent source of ethanol.

However, corn-based ethanol production is energy intensive, and in some instances uses nearly as much energy to produce (including the energy needed for farming and making fertilizers) than it supplies, although new technologies are improving the efficiency of production.