[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7210\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy raising the alcohol content of Europe\u2019s fuels could reduce carbon emissions\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELabels that carry a single letter followed by a number are found on petrol pumps across Europe. Many motorists probably don\u2019t notice \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fuel-identifiers.eu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethese codes\u003C\/a\u003E, or aren\u2019t aware that when they use a pump which has one, they\u2019re putting alcohol into their cars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe alcohol, in the form of ethanol derived from plants, is part of efforts to make the fuels we put in our vehicles more environmentally friendly. Most petrol now sold at pumps in Europe is a blend of 5% bioethanol and 95% gasoline, denoted by an E5 label, while some countries have moved to a new generation of fuel that contains up to 10% bioethanol, known as E10.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd as the world looks to reduce its impact on climate change by cutting emissions from fossil fuels, motorists in the European Union could soon be putting even more alcohol into their tanks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStandards\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cen.eu\/Pages\/default.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEuropean Committee for Standardization\u003C\/a\u003E (CEN) commissioned research looking at the costs and benefits of introducing a fuel containing 20% bioethanol, or E20. The results from the project, which concluded towards the end of 2019, will help them develop new quality and specification standards that will be required before it can be sold.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The conclusion we have reached is that all the vehicles coming onto the market and those since 2011 should be able to handle fuels with up to 20% ethanol,\u2019 said Ortwin Costenoble, a senior standardisation consultant at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nen.nl\/Home_EN.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ERoyal Netherlands Standardization Institute\u003C\/a\u003E (NEN), which led the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cen.eu\/work\/Sectors\/Energy\/Pages\/Biofuels.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eproject\u003C\/a\u003E. \u2018We were working on the basis that in 2030, countries would adopt E20 as the main source of fuel.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnder the EU\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/ALL\/?uri=CELEX%3A32009L0028\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Erenewable energy directive\u003C\/a\u003E, 10% of the fuel used in transport will need to come from renewable sources such as biofuel by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/data-and-maps\/indicators\/use-of-cleaner-and-alternative-fuels\/use-of-cleaner-and-alternative-5\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eend of 2020\u003C\/a\u003E. The 2018 revision of this directive set a target of 14% renewable energy being used in all transport by 2030.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt present, the majority of EU member states use E5 petrol in their vehicles. Some countries, however, have started moving to E10. In January, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia became the latest countries to introduce E10 to their forecourts, bringing the total number of EU member states to sell the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ethanolfacts.eu\/question-post\/will-ethanol-hurt-my-cars-engine\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Efuel at the majority of retail stations to 13\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERenewable\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile bioethanol still produces carbon dioxide when it burns, because it is made from plants rather than fossil fuels that take millions of years to form, it is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1364032116311339\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Econsidered to be a renewable fuel\u003C\/a\u003E. It is also considered to be greener, partly because as the plants grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it before it is converted into fuel and burned. This means they are not releasing additional carbon into the atmosphere as happens when fossil fuels are burned.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA litre of pure ethanol also produces about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epure.org\/media\/1592\/ethanol-and-your-engine_what-you-need-to-know.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Etwo thirds of the carbon emissions\u003C\/a\u003E compared to a litre of ordinary petrol. But ethanol contains less energy per litre than petrol, so a non-optimised car will need more alcohol to travel the same distance as it would with fossil fuel. This eats away at the carbon emission savings that are possible from using ethanol. And to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.card.iastate.edu\/iowa_ag_review\/fall_07\/article1.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eproduce the alcohol in the first place also requires energy\u003C\/a\u003E, probably using fossil fuels, which can further reduce carbon savings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the CEN study found that while fuel consumption would go up if countries switched to using E20 fuel, due to the increased amount of ethanol, carbon dioxide emissions overall would go down 10% compared to all cars using E10.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you use a normal octane fuel blend with 20% bioethanol, the fuel consumption increases only by 4%,\u2019 said Costenoble. But with more ethanol you may allow the octane component of gasoline to rise, and vehicles running on fuels with a higher-octane rating tend to be more efficient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022ftp:\/\/ftp.cencenelec.eu\/CEN\/Sectors\/List\/Energy\/Fuels\/FinalReports_Fuels.zip\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EThe researchers\u003C\/a\u003E estimated that if all 28 EU countries (the UK was still part of the EU at the time of the study) adopted E20, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cen.eu\/work\/Sectors\/Energy\/Pages\/Biofuels.aspx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E25.4Mt (mega-tonnes) of carbon dioxide\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 about 8.2% of the current emissions from gasoline in the EU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey estimated that further savings could be made if the fuel\u2019s petrol component had a higher octane rating of 102 \u2013 most fuel on sale today has an octane rating of 95.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We were working on the basis that in 2030, countries would adopt E20 as the main source of fuel.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EOrtwin Costenoble, Royal Netherlands Standardization Institute\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProduction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd there are concerns about \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.fao.org\/3\/i3126e\/i3126e.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ehow sustainable large-scale bioethanol production\u003C\/a\u003E can be. Most bioethanol sold in the EU is produced by fermenting sugars contained in primary crops like maize, wheat, and sugar beet. This can take up land and resources that could otherwise be used to grow food.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEfforts, however, are underway to produce a second generation of biofuels that could overcome this problem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Some of our members are starting to use agricultural wastes and residues left behind from food crops,\u2019 said Victor Bernabeu, senior technical and regulatory affairs manager at the European Renewable Ethanol Association, also known as ePURE. But justifying investment into such technologies has been difficult because there have been regular changes to the renewable energy policy framework, says Bernabeu.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExisting policies are one of the roadblocks standing in the way of E20 fuel from coming on the market in the EU. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/ALL\/?uri=CELEX%3A32009L0030\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Efuel quality directive\u003C\/a\u003E, for example, currently only allows 10% of a fuel to be replaced with ethanol, a measure originating from a time when the impact of increasing alcohol levels on vehicle emissions was unknown.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It seems like a logical step to introduce E20 and everyone we spoke to seems to want it, but at the moment it is an illegal fuel,\u2019 said Costenoble. A change in the regulations will be needed before it can be introduced, but he hopes manufacturers and standardisation writers will begin preparing for E20 before that happens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPublic acceptance\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother hurdle will be public acceptance. As most vehicles currently on the road are able to run on E10 and can move to E20 with some calibration or inexpensive upgrades costing a few hundred euros, there is unlikely to be much public opposition, according to Bernabeu.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut if the cost of fuel itself increases because it contains higher levels of ethanol, it is likely to be welcomed far less. The work by Costenoble and his colleagues, however, found that E20 could be produced with current refinery infrastructure, which would need minimal adjustments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaking the fuel supply logistics chain compatible with E20 would cost less than one cent per litre, says Costenoble.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the cost of fuel to consumers mainly depends on varying market price of oil and ethanol, combined with the tax applied by different countries. Currently ethanol costs slightly more than gasoline, but many countries in Europe do not levy tax on the ethanol in fuel. This could help to offset any additional cost to consumers, says Costenoble.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBernabeu believes that the reduced environmental impact of shifting to E10 and then E20 fuels could also make them more acceptable to motorists.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Lots of people are probably not aware they are consuming ethanol in their cars at the moment already,\u2019 said Bernabeu. He points to countries where E10 has been introduced, such as Belgium and France, where he says there have been major \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/economie.fgov.be\/fr\/themes\/energie\/sources-denergie\/carburants\/biocarburants\/essence-e10\/questionsreponses-concernant\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Epublic information campaigns\u003C\/a\u003E. \u2018(E10) has been pitched as a greenhouse gas reduction measure, so it has been widely accepted.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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