China will this year invest more in biomass ethanol projects over maize-based
ones because of a lack of grain.
"The current maize-ethanol production capacity has far surpassed what the
corn output can provide as an important grain resource," Du Ying, vice-minister
of National Development and Reform Commission, said.
In Jilin Province in Northeast China, there are more than
50 maize ethanol enterprises, totalling the yearly production capacity of 30
million tons.
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Du Ying, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform
Commission, answers questions on new energy, at a CPPCC meeting yesterday
on proposal-handling. Jiang Dong |
"We are still piloting biomass, namely straw, chaff and stalk, ethanol
projects in some areas," the official said.
"We also support clean energy projects such as clover-ethanol and
straw-methane ones."
Though the minister admitted that technological development in biomass
ethanol research was relatively new and less advanced compared with the likes of
Brazil and the United States, an official with Ministry of Agriculture said
there might be technological breakthroughs in the near future.
"We are researching all kinds of biomass energy options, and others include
sorghum ethanol and cole diesel oil projects," Yang Xiongnian, deputy director
of science and technology, education and rural environment department of the
ministry told China Daily.
"But establishing new maize ethanol projects should be temporarily stopped."
The Ministry of Finance held a special work conference yesterday to discuss
funding policies for future biomass energy projects.
Both Du and Yang contributed to discussions between four state ministers and
members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Besides being the top advisory body, CPPCC is also the country's think tank
with senior experts from all sectors, such as Ren Yuling, from the State
Council.
"With the technologies we have developed so far, China is capable of
producing 50 million tons of ethanol a year, equal to a Daqing oilfield in
northeastern Heilongjiang Province," Ren said.
Ren's calculation was based on the consumption of 350 million tons of biomass
from the total 1 billion tons produced in China each year.
"We don't have sufficient stale grain, not to say the amount of maize," Ren
said in his proposal for more national investment in biomass pilot projects.
Ren also said the Chinese Academy of Sciences had acquired some world-class
advanced technologies, which could produce one ton of ethanol at a cost of 4,500
yuan ($562).
Ethanol is the main biofuel produced in China, with output hitting 1.02
million tons in 2005. Corn accounted for 76 per cent of the raw material. The
others were mainly wheat and sorghum.
China plans to produce about 6 million tons of ethanol by 2010 and 15 million
tons by 2020 in addition to 5 million tons of biodiesel, according to sources
with the ministry.
(China Daily 03/08/2007 page6)
