On 8th February 2024 FlexSNG was hosted by Greenfield Global at their Varennes biofuel production site. We learnt how ethanol, animal feed, and corn oil, are produced from grain provided by farmers within a 75-kilometre radius. The Greenfield Global biofuel plant is one of the biggest in the world, and significantly contributes to Canada’s domestic gasoline market.
This ethanol is a high-quality, high-octane fuel which:
- Is made from renewable crops and resources.
- Reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.
- Supports local agriculture by providing a value-added market for grains.
- Provides consumers with an affordable, more environmentally friendly fuel at the pump.
Information about Ethanol in Canada:
Ethanol is an essential component of the domestic gasoline market. It is the leading renewable fuel in Canada with approximately 2.9 billion litres blended into the Canadian gasoline supply each year.
Ethanol is approved for use in all cars at a blend of up to 10% (15% for model year 2001 and later), light-duty trucks, and medium duty passenger vehicles. Most major urban markets in Canada use ethanol blended fuels.
Ethanol is the single most effective way to decarbonize transportation fuels today. Greenfield’s fuel ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 62% compared to fossil fuel.
Each year, domestic ethanol use and production lowers Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million tonnes — the carbon equivalent of removing 400,000 cars from the road. A litre of ethanol is consistently less expensive than gasoline. In 2017, the average wholesale discount of ethanol to gasoline was 3 cents per litre. In 2018, ethanol’s discount to gasoline remains near a five-year high of 25 cents per litre.
Ethanol is the cleanest and lowest-cost octane enhancer available and facilitates compliance for fuel efficiency and emissions standards. It also displaces the need for toxic aromatics linked to pollution and smog.
The majority of Canada’s ethanol is made from the country’s abundant corn supply. It also can be produced from other feedstocks such as wheat, barley, sugar beets, and sugar cane. Technologies are emerging to produce ethanol from agricultural residue, woody biomass, and even municipal solid waste.
The positive environmental and economic benefits of ethanol have motivated governments around the world to enact renewable fuels standards and other policies to encourage greater use. Today, more than 50 countries around the world have ethanol mandates.
(source: https://greenfield.com/our-markets/renewable-energy/biofuels/)
