via Green Fuel targets April 2015 for E20 blending – NewsDay Zimbabwe 8 October 2014
THE Chisumbanje ethanol plant management has targeted April 2015 for the introduction of E20 fuel blending subject to requisite investment, an official with the company has said.
Green Fuel – which is a joint venture between the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) and Billy Rautenbach’s Macdom and Ratings — is among the pioneering large-scale ethanol producing plants in Africa and presently the largest on the continent.
Arda board chairman Basil Nyabadza said although the attendant investment for this process was an issue of concern, demand for the product was very high.
“There is need to plan and synchronise production, milling, purification and other processes across the value chain,” he said adding that by April next year, the plant would be able to produce E20.
Fuel blending commenced at 5% ethanol and 95% unleaded petrol last year, following the issuance of an ethanol production and mandatory blending licence to Green Fuel earlier on.
The blending mix then increased to 10% and is currently at 15%.
The proponents of the project argue that the Chisumbanje plant has capacity to produce 120 million litres of anhydrous and high quality ethanol per year suitable for blending with petrol for vehicles up to (E20) or use in flex fuel vehicles (E85).
Nyabadza said presently the joint venture is harvesting from the middle Sabi and there are economies of scale while another key issue is about off take in dollar terms.
“Strategic industries require national support not politics which has people who are bent on protecting their own interests,” he said.
He said there are some fuel cartels which have been operating for a very long time that do not want to see the emergence of local initiatives that pose a threat to their business’ profits.
“Zimbabwe is attracting another type of investor who prefers to deal with government rather than the private sector, in so doing undermining the national agenda through political connections,” he said.
Nyabadza pointed out that ever since the plant began full scale operations, besides creating employment opportunities for local people, the nation was saving $300 000 a day in fuel imports.
A number of local vehicle assemblers have said that they would give warranties limited up to E10 blending.
COMMENTS
It is a waste of time to comment on this subject,therefore I refer those who have doubts in what I said before to log in to this website=
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/common-ethanol-fuel-mixtures
After logging in scroll to the modifications required to the vehicles for fuels beyond E10.You will be alarmed of the hurried decision by our leaders.
Thanks Mixed Race here is one snipet from the website “The use of ethanol blends in conventional gasoline vehicles is restricted to low mixtures, as ethanol is corrosive and can degrade some of the materials in the engine and fuel system. Also, the engine has to be adjusted for a higher compression ratio as compared to a pure gasoline engine to take advantage of ethanol’s higher oxygen content, thus allowing an improvement in fuel efficiency and a reduction of tailpipe emissions”. Is anyone listening out there
And here is more snipets “Disadvantages to ethanol fuel blends when used in engines designed exclusively for gasoline include lowered fuel mileage, metal corrosion, deterioration of plastic and rubber fuel system components, clogged fuel systems, fuel injectors, and carburetors, delamination of composite fuel tanks, varnish buildup on engine parts, damaged or destroyed internal engine components, water absorption, fuel phase separation, and shortened fuel storage life. Many major auto, marine, motorcycle, lawn equipment, generator, and other internal combustion engine manufacturers have issued warnings and precautions about the use of ethanol-blended gasolines of any type in their engines, and the Federal Aviation Administration and major aviation engine manufacturers have prohibited the use of automotive gasolines blended with ethanol in light aircraft due to safety issues from fuel system and engine damage” Be afraid, real afraid