Future prospects for ethanol fuel use - a review

Abstract

Countries inspired by a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet their Kyoto Protocol targets, have turned to ethanol fuels as a cheap and proven alternative to reduce vehicular emissions. Political instability in the Middle East has further motivated countries to develop their own fuel supply to ensure the security of supply and promote internal economic growth. The use of fuel ethanol has attracted considerable negative press and public comments in the early part of 2000s. Because of the importance of ethanol fuel as alternative to petrol, this review presents discussions outlining the various benefits and costs of using fuel ethanol with the objective of highlighting the future prospects of its use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide cheap energy source for vehicles and also provide income to farmers producing bio-ethanol.

Key words: ethanol fuel, future prospects, conflicting needs