Ethanol

Ethanol derived from sugarcane in Brazil or from other sources such as corn in the U.S. is one of the
most efficient biofuels in terms of energy balance and carbon emissions. Almost 80 percent of the
ethanol produced in the world today is used as fuel, primarily by land-based vehicles. Less than 10
percent of the world's ethanol production is used in the beverage industry, and approximately 10
percent is used in industrial products such as paints, medicines and solvents. Ethanol production
was about 22.7 billion gallons in 2010 compared to 19.5 billion gallons in 2009, a greater than 16
percent increase. Figure 1 shows how fuel ethanol has grown over the years while beverage and
industrial use ethanol has remained fairly constant.

Two GE LM6000PC aeroderivative gas turbines have been converted at a power plant in Brazil to
run on ethanol. Located in southern part of Minas Gerais, approximately 180 kilometers north of Rio
de Janeiro, this 87-MW simple-cycle power plant was converted from a natural gas-only plant to a
dual fuel, ethanol capable plant. This enhances the plant's energy security and reliability by providing
a valuable alternative fuel source when natural gas is not available. This is the world's first use of
sugarcane-based ethanol in a gas turbine system to produce electricity on a full commercial scale.
The goal of the project was to assess gas turbine performance in terms of emissions, efficiency and
component durability when fueled with ethanol. The demonstration consisted of 975 hours of testing
(actual gas turbine operating time on ethanol), including load variation, water injection variation, fuel
transfers between natural gas and ethanol, and startup and shutdown of the gas turbine on ethanol.
The demonstration included interim borescope inspections, and at the conclusion of the
demonstration, the gas turbine was disassembled for a detailed component inspection. The
performance of the gas turbine was equivalent to the same gas turbine operating on natural gas and
the emission levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2), aldehydes, carbon monoxide and unburned
hydrocarbons were very similar. Nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions were reduced when compared
distillate fuels, and all the carbon emissions were from renewable sources. Hot section component
deterioration was comparable to distillate fuel operation for the same run time.

To reach full designed power, about 1.6 times more ethanol flow is required compared to diesel,
given the lower volumetric energy content of ethanol. The ethanol used is hydrous, meaning that it
contains 6 perccent to 10 percent water. The increased water content is actually beneficial, cooling
the combustion temperature and resulting in lower NOx emissions.
This site drew international attention when then President of Brazil, Mr. Lula da Silva, attended the
site's inauguration to highlight that Brazil's ethanol could be used for clean power generation.