What can be the best and sustainable solution to achieve the objectives of reducing emissions and using renewable sources as established by the RED directive II? In fact, this European standard provides that gasoline, diesel and methane suppliers will achieve at least an equal share by 2030 to 16% of renewable sources on the total amount of fuels released for consumption. But there is no single answer to the question, certainly one piece of the puzzle is the need to lay the foundations for the development of a new industry, respectful of sustainability and circularity criteria. For AssoDistilnational industrial association of alcohol and brandy distillers, the way to go is theuse of sustainable bioethanola resource already available in Italy and which does not require new infrastructures, a 100% renewable biofuel able to reduce emissions by at least 75% compared to fossil fuels. These themes were the focus of the workshop “Bioethanol: sustainable mobility is now!”, organized by AssoDistil to raise awareness among political decision makers and public opinion on this important resource.
With the RED II and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec) of 2020, our country has introduced a progressive obligation of biofuel mixed with petrol equal to 0.5% in 2023 and 3% in 2025. Since today bioethanol is probably the only biofuel that can be mixed with petrol, AssoDistil estimates that the adoption of this standard could translate into a share of this product equal to at least 55ktonn / a in 2023 and at least 320 ktonn / a in 2025 and which will replace an equal amount of fossil fuels.
Bioethanol can also be obtained from agro-food waste (advanced bioethanol) and is perfectly compatible with the current motorization of the car fleet in circulation and therefore does not present any need for expensive infrastructures – as is the case for other energy carriers. In fact, bioethanol can be mixed with petrol without any need for interventions on vehicles in circulation up to at least 10%, which is in fact the standard used in the major countries of the European Union. Furthermore, the bioethanol is produced in Italy from certified sustainable supply chains that use agricultural residues, such as pomace, lees, dedicated no-food biomass and agro-industrial waste. This also sets the stage for one industrial conversion of petrochemicals towards green chemistrywhich in Italy presents absolute excellence having been the first in the world to develop a technology for the production of bioethanol starting from cellulose.
If by introducing a minimum obligation to mix bioethanol with petrol, an important step forward was made, considering the Italian technological leadership, nevertheless the the bioethanol market in Italy is struggling to take off. Until now, all national production has been destined for neighboring European markets, such as Switzerland and Francewith the double disadvantage of not using the share of renewable energy in our country and reducing the environmental benefit of the bioethanol produced here and exported due to transport-related emissions.
A European study conducted by European Climate Foundation estimated the environmental, economic and employment effects of bioethanol development in Europe, highlighting how conventional fuels can be replaced with up to 16% advanced biofuels without impacting other existing supply chains. The production of advanced biofuels would consequently result in the construction of approximately 150 plants for an investment of over 10 billion euros and the creation of 160 thousand jobs, between direct and indirect, temporary and permanent. Furthermore, the release for consumption of these advanced biofuels would allow the reduction of at least 60% of emissions as well as create 300 thousand new jobs in the agricultural sector which would benefit from 15 billion euros / year of supplementary income.
Consequently for Italyin the face of a certain demand of at least 10% of bioethanol in petrol by 2030 and a strategy of public incentives for the realization of the investments, it could therefore be foreseen the construction of at least 15 new plants with the consequent mobilization of approximately 1.5 billion euros of investment, 16 thousand new jobs in industryBesides 30 thousand in the agricultural supply chain with an overall income integration of approximately 1.5 billion. This without considering the possibility of using part of the more than 3 million hectares of inactive land in Italy to cultivate the raw material for the production of advanced bioethanol.
“In terrible moments like those we have been experiencing for a couple of months following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict – declares the president AssoDistil Antonio Emaldi – the use of alternative energy sources to fossil fuels, such as bioethanol, appears extremely essential to free ourselves as much as possible from oil imports and, at the same time, improving the environmental impact. It is clear to everyone that the increase in inflation, energy costs, raw materials and logistics are putting a strain on the resilience of the European system, both at a social and industrial level. In the hope that the conflict does not extend and end as soon as possible, it is however our duty to think that only with the construction of new industry and jobs will it be possible to mitigate all the negativities mentioned above. And bioethanol represents an opportunity for our country that must certainly be seized. “
Precisely on the occasion of the workshop, AssoDistil reiterated and asked that Italy, aligning itself with what has already been done by the major European countries, finally adopt a policy of strong support for the production and consumption of sustainable bioethanol and for the development of its supply chains to ensure the achievement the objectives set by the European Union, both in terms of the use of renewable sources in transport, and of decisive and immediate reduction of climate-altering gas emissions produced by the transport sector.
“As AssoDistil we ask for binding and increasing targets for the release for consumption of bioethanol, both conventional and advanced in the gasoline supply chain at least until 2030 to guarantee an adequate reduction of emissions” – he explains Sandro Cobror, director of AssoDistil. “Furthermore, the excise duties imposed on bioethanol are inexplicably equated to those on petrol which are among the highest of all the fuels on the market. We hope for one in this sense revision of excise duties so that they take into account the environmental impact of individual fuels: the polluter pays more. Finally, as an association, we ask for a support for investments in plants for the production of advanced bioethanol alongside a bureaucratic streamlining that today risks penalizing the sector too much “.