Japan Ups Ethanol Made from Biomass
Under pressure to meet Kyoto Protocol targets and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several ministries in the Japanese government have issued a report recommending increasing ethanol production from domestic biomass resources.
The report advises boosting ethanol made from wood waste and mass-produced grains to account for 38 million barrels, or about 6 percent of Japan’s annual gasoline consumption.
Currently Japan produces very little ethanol on its own and is heavily dependent on imported gasoline. Even so, the cost of ethanol continues to be an issue. In order to encourage use and development, the report proposes modifying the taxes on ethanol, which is mostly imported from Brazil. But even if Japan used the new super-harvest grains like rice and sorghum that can be planted in abandoned fiels, ethanol production costs may still be quite high.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to increase the use of biomass in fuels as part of the island nation’s larger plan to shift away from fossil fuel use to slow global warming.
Japan needs to meet its Kyoto Protocol goal to cut its global warming emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by the 2008-2012 period. The agreement excludes emissions from biofuels like ethanol.
