SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0 Copyright 1991 Kurt Schwehr. Conversion of Sugar Cane to Ethanol for the Philippines Research Project for The Sierra Club Kurt Schwehr and Linda Garcia Introduction This paper was written for our freshman English public service research project. The paper was requested by the Sierra Club's local chapter. This research paper proposes the use of biomass as an alternate fuel source for cars in the Philippines. It was used as a counter proposal by the Sierra Club to try to stop the installation of about 20 geothermal sites that will destroy massive amounts of rain forest. This used the successful program Brazil as a model for the paper. Although the twenty-two proposed geothermal plants would provide the Philippines with much needed energy and a decreased dependence on foreign oil, we believe that the Philippines should instead convert excess sugar cane (biomass) to ethanol fuel for cars because the geothermal plants will cause a great deal of damage to the Philippine rainforests. The Current Situation The Philippine government is currently planning to build twenty-two geothermal plants in the Mt. Apo National Park that is one of the few areas of precious rainforest left in the Philippine islands. This geothermal project would lead to the destruction of a large portion of the remaining forest. Drilling wells and constructing production facilities will take up a significant portion of land. Beyond the actual facilities there are various other pressures that will be placed on the rainforest such as the clearing of rainforests for roads and utilities. The destruction of rainforest would mean the end to one of the Philippines most valuable, but untapped, resources. Proposal In order to reap the greatest benefits, we propose that the Philippines should follow a course different from the present plan of building 22 new geothermal plants to produce electricity. It is true that the creation of new geothermal plants would produce much of the needed electricity for the Philippines; however, the country could install an alternate method of energy production, a conversion of sugar to ethanol. Ethanol would have two uses: it would provide fuel for Philippine cars and it would generate electricity by burning ethanol. The excess sugar cane that is currently burned every year could supply much of the needed feedstock for ethanol production. Feedstock is the raw material, such as grain, fruit, or other agricultural products, used as the sugar source in the fermentation process. Briefly, an ethanol production industry would have the following benefits to the Philippines: a decreased dependence on foreign oil, a more favorable balance of trade, a fuller utilization of the agricultural output, a significant number of new jobs, a renewable energy source, less pollution from cars, and a greater preservation of the rainforest. It is often impractical to begin a new program without experience. This is not so with ethanol production. Several Third World countries have ethanol production programs. The most applicable, the world's largest and most efficient ethanol production program is in Brazil. Brazil has been on large scale production of ethanol since 1975 with the ProAlcool program. Since Brazil has done all the hard work of developing the technology and frame work that is expensive and time-consuming, the Philippines are able to follow the paths Brazil has taken and possibly avoid many of the problems and mistakes that Brazil has made in developing this program. Geothermal Geothermal production of electricity has been depicted to the world as a clean, safe, renewable energy source without any problems. Unfortunately with today's minimal technologies and methods this is not true. Geothermal currently has a wide variety of problems associated with various aspects of its use. Geothermal energy is obtained through the tapping of the Earth's internal heat by drilling wells where the Earth's heat has risen close to the surface as magma. Geothermal energy is captured in reservoirs of fluid saturated rocks thousands of feet below the Earth's surface that are estimated to be around three thousand degrees Celsius. The presence of hot springs, geysers or fumaroles are the visible signs of geothermal energy below. (Meeker-Lowry, P. 11) Water enters the heated region from the regions underground water reservoir. Wells are drilled to potentially productive zones. The heated water rises as steam through the well which then drives electric generators on the surface to produce electricity. The steam condenses into water and is usually pumped back down into the well to create a continuous cycle (Press, P. 592). Environmental Impact of Geothermal The production and the use of geothermal energy has proven to be anything but clean, safe and renewable. Pollution to the environment, damage to the surrounding area and loss of what appears to be a non-renewable water source have been attributed to the production of geothermal energy. A major drawback to geothermal use is the pollution of the surrounding environment. It is already happening in the Philippines to the water and fish that the local people of Tiwi rely on heavily as a food source (Meeker-Lowry, P. 11). Varying amounts of carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, mercury, radon, boron and trace metals have been found in the air around geothermal plants. Some of these elements are causing damage to not only the air but to the people that work in and around the plants. According to the article "Shattering A Geothermal Myth," twenty six local residents complained of headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea soon after the drilling began. This was found in a report from the Department of Health with the final recommendation to evacuate the residents or stop the drill activities. This was believed to be caused by H2S (hydrogen sulfide). "Hydrogen sulfide in high concentrations can cause respiratory failure and asphyxia." When boric acid escapes from the cooling towers in droplets, it rains on the trees around the area. The trees are severely damaged and stressed by the boron. Arsenic, a known poison and carcinogen, and mercury are frequently found in geothermal fluids. Muds used for drilling contain petroleum-based additives that will contaminate groundwater if they are leaked onto the surface. Drilling, road building and other activities cause further damage by increased erosion and sedimentation. The process of removing water from the ground without replacing it can quickly become an enormous problem. At many geothermal areas, reinjecting the water would damage the underground natural "piping" that bring the superheated water to the wells. The water (called brine) contains large amounts of chemicals that are very toxic. This water is extremely difficult and expensive to dispose of in a way that will not severely pollute the environment. The removal of water from the ground causes three major problems: land subsidence, reduced underground water supply, and possible damage to the aquifers (underground channels) that bring more underground water to the area. When water is pumped out faster than it can be replaced naturally or manually, irreversible damage occurs. Water is contained in the crevasses and cracks between the rock and mud. When that water leaves and is not replaced, the ground compacts, causing the land above to sink. Because the crevices and cracks have now disappeared the ground becomes impenetrable by water. Land subsidence, the change in the ground level, can be very costly. In San Jose, California, for example, land subsidence broke many underground pipes which had to be replaced. Steam does not appear to be a renewable source. Logically, it seems that if the water removed from the ground was to be reinjected back into the ground, it would be recycled into new steam by the intense heat. Water is usually reinjected into the ground a good distance from where it was originally removed. From its new location the water has to seep back to the place where it can be heated. Because water takes a long time to seep through rock, steam pressure in the wells drop over a period of time. The greatest example of this is the world's largest geothermal-power production field, The Geysers near Clear Lake in California. It was thought that The Geysers would be able to support 3,000 megawatts (MW) of power, but by 1987 only 2,000 MW were installed. Now 400 MW of capacity is standing idle. Currently, more steam is being removed than can be replaced by the hot underground magma (Mowris, P. 4). The steam pressure is down 20% and has been predicted to go down an additional 30% by the end of the century. Tom Sparks, a UNOCAL geothermal expert said, "No one foresaw this happening. We had thought there was a steady boiling mechanism 15 miles down, but that theory isn't working." (Meeker-Lowry, P.11) Rainforests The rainforests are one of the world's most valuable yet fragile resources. Although they cover less than seven percent of the world's surface, rainforests receive over one half of all rainfall. When forests are intact rivers run full and clear throughout the year. The clearing of forests causes rivers to swell with muddy sediment after rainfall and shrink during dry spells. When flooding and draught prevail, soil erosion accelerates (Lewis, pg. 37). Rainforests play an essential role in weather. They absorb solar energy, helping to drive the circulation of the atmosphere. This affects wind and rainfall patterns worldwide (Lewis, p.9). Not only do they provide shelter for thousands of species of plants, animals, the rainforests are also home to many indigenous people. In an article in Scientific American, Edward Wilson notes that "it is a potential source for immense untapped material wealth in the form of food, medicine and other commercially important substances." (Sept. 1989, P. 108). For example the rosy periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, yields two alkaloids: vinblastine and vincristine. These two substances have been proven to be very effective in fighting Hodgkin's disease and acute lymphocytic leukemia. Wilson claims that these two substances bring in over one hundred million dollars a year. The potential for extracting the biological resources from the rainforest without damaging the forest is a tremendous source of wealth that has not been tapped. Ethanol Fueled Vehicles Benefits of Biomass for the Philippines There are two ways in which ethanol can be used in cars as fuel. The first is to blend ethanol with gasoline to produce a mixture called gasohol. Gasohol is extremely important to an ethanol program because it can be used in a standard car that uses unleaded gasoline. In the seventies and early eighties, a blend of 90% unleaded gas and 10% anhydrous ethanol (100% ethanol and 0% water) was used to make gasohol (Fuel from Farms, P. 9). It is extremely important that the ethanol contains no water as it causes the ethanol and gasoline to separate in the gas tank. With today's improved engines, a blend of 77% gasoline and 23% anhydrous ethanol is being used in standard cars in Brazil (Hall 1987, P.340). If gasohol is put in widespread use throughout the Philippines, there will be a guaranteed market large enough to absorb all the ethanol in the first year or two of ethanol production. With the money that set aside the geothermal plants and loans from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, a quick jump start into ethanol production can be made. There will be a fair amount of financial backing from the money that is made in the first two years that will help the program. Even though there is no major industry for ethanol production, ethanol is used in most gasoline sold in the United States. It is put in as an additive to increase the octane rating and to clean the engine. The octane number is simply a rating of the gasoline's freedom from the "knock" or "ping" that is heard while driving the car. The noise comes from the uncontrolled burning of the gasoline. High compression engines require high octane which burns more slowly. The octane number also refers to the number of cleaning agents added the gasoline as well. The octane number is based on the chemical make-up of gasoline which is made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms combined into various molecules called hydrocarbons. The liquid hydrocarbons usually used to produce gasoline have from four to twelve carbon atoms in each molecule, and vaporize or burn from about 100'F to 400'F. The quality of the gasoline is affected by the proportions of hydrogen and carbon atoms in each molecule and also by the way the atoms join together to form molecules. There are only two problems associated with the use of gasohol. One is that the ethanol tends to dissolve the residual oils on the cylinders. This causes small amounts of extra wear on the pistons and rings. Cars can be easily converted to burn hydrated ethanol (95% ethanol and 5% water) which resolves this problem. David Blume, a man who teaches a workshop through the West Coast Valley College District on how to make ethanol, claims that a car can be converted for about $20 worth of parts in three hours (Converting Cars, 8 N). The other problem with gasohol is that cars using ethanol have a hard time starting in cold weather. This should not be a problem in the Philippines with its tropical location. If it does become a problem there are two quick solutions. The easiest is to park the car in a garage if one is available. The second is to place a small heating element in the engine compartment when parking overnight. This method is commonly done in the midwest region of the United States during the winter. In the past two decades these problems have become even less significant because of the many technological improvements to the gasoline engine. The second way to use ethanol as an automotive fuel is to have a fleet of cars that are built to run purely on ethanol. With these cars, it is no longer a requirement to remove all the water from the ethanol. This significantly decreases the cost of production of ethanol. There are two major concerns with ethanol cars. One, ethanol will get about two thirds the distance as the same volume of gasoline (Parfit P. 49). This occurs because ethanol contains fewer calories of energy in the same volume. With a slightly larger fuel tank and the small size of the Philippine islands as compared to mainland Brazil, the lower miles per gallon should not bother the Philippine driver. The other question is the supply of cars that run on hydrated ethanol. Who builds these cars? Seeing that Brazil is the only major market for ethanol cars it might be assumed that no major car manufacturers produce these cars. This is not the case since five major car manufacturers supply Brazil with its ethanol cars: Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler (S.F. Chronicle 4/1/80). With major car makers producing ethanol cars, it should be fairly easy to obtain a fleet of cars that consume the ethanol produced by the Philippines. The ethanol car runs on a type of engine called the Otto-cycle engine. This engine has a major advantage over the standard gas engine. The standard gas engine has a thermal efficiency of 27% while burning gasoline. This means that 73% of the energy of combusting gasoline is converted to heat that provides no power for motion. The thermal efficiency of an ethanol engine varies from 36 to 38%. Ethanol has 9 to 11% more energy available to the driver, giving better performance. Increased efficiency in the gas engine is unlikely since over seventy years of intense research have already found most of the viable ways to improve the gas burning engine. However, the ethanol engine should be able to reach an estimated 42% thermal efficiency (Hall P. 340). A final question about ethanol fuel is how it compares in price to gasoline. In 1989, the cost of ethanol was 18.5 cents per liter on average in Brazil. It was estimated that ethanol could easily compete with imported oil without subsidies if the price of oil were $24 a barrel. Due to technological and production improvements, the price of ethanol has fallen about 4 percent a year (Reddy P. 115). With the world's supply of oil slowly depleting, the price of oil will continue to rise in the future while the price of ethanol will continue to decrease. These factors plus the addition of a small gasoline tax would make ethanol very attractive to both the Philippine government and its population. One of the benefits of an ethanol program would be that ethanol production can be used to control the price of fuel for cars. Most of the world's economies are based on the availability of motor fuel. A sharp increase in fuel costs could be extremely damaging. This can be seen from the effects caused by the war in the Middle East. According to the reporter Cameron-Moore, "...high oil prices are hurting the world's poor -- in the Philippines they are turning on the Government, in West Africa they are turning to Nigeria, and in Brazil they are turning to alcohol." Between August and October of 1990, the price of crude oil doubled. In the Philippines, the resulting 32 per cent rise in gas prices for consumers caused street protests and led to widespread unrest. The Philippines have little if any control of the price they pay for crude oil. On the other hand, production of ethanol would be completely in the hands of the Philippines. Gasohol provides a quick and cheap market for ethanol. Ethanol cars and trucks can then easily take over gasohol's place to create a safe and secure market for ethanol. With a well planned introduction of ethanol into the fuel market, there is little to no danger to the Philippines and the industries involved with ethanol production. Brazil's Ethanol Program The program in Brazil began in 1922. More recently, dependence on outside oil supplies and the 1973 Arab embargo on oil caused Brazil to begin a major program on alternative energies. In 1975, a program called ProAlcool or P.N.A (Programe Nataional de Alcool) was created by a government decree. At the time, the country was producing about 0.6 billion liters of alcohol per year (Hall P. 331). The program was set up in two phases. Phase I (1975-1978) was mostly designed to get a quick increase in alcohol production without a large investment in new production facilities to save the county's sugar industry from complete destruction. Phase II's (1979-1985) goal was to build a full fledged energy program to strengthen the entire country. (Demetrius P. 11) At the beginning of the program, the economic development council came up with a list of goals for the program: reduction of regional and personal income disparities, fuller utilization of idle land and labor, expansion of production of capital goods produced