Expert Discusses Ethanol's Economic and Environmental Benefits

Agustín Torroba, an expert in biofuels and renewable energy from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (ICA), spoke with Nex Noticias about the benefits of using ethanol. He stated that one of the main advantages is environmental. "I would say that a bit of geopolitical vision is needed, as ethanol also allows us to diversify the energy matrix," he said. The expert emphasized that ethanol provides stability, as its price is much more stable than the price peaks of oil, which are highly concentrated in OPEC countries. He added that there are potential biological raw materials in more than 80 countries to produce ethanol or biodiesel and replace oil. "Today we have the great certainty that ethanol does not affect engines," noted Torroba. If you look at a geographical map, we realize that we are "democratizing a green oil" that has great potential in Latin American countries, but also in Asia, Africa, and Europe, he indicated. Moreover, it improves the combustion of automobiles, Torroba assured. In this regard, he recalled that in the past, lead was banned from gasoline, then other components were used that "were better than lead," but still potentially harmful, and ethanol is the next step in this regard. Job Creation According to Torroba, the implementation of ethanol will have a very positive impact on the national agribusiness, especially in the sugar chain, creating many direct and indirect jobs. "We estimate that 30,000 direct and indirect jobs can be created, which is always positive for our countries to create jobs, especially in the interior, so that young engineers and professionals do not have to migrate to the big cities," he explained. He also noted that it improves air quality, meaning that "the combustion of gasoline mixed with ethanol significantly reduces many components in gasoline that are potentially harmful to health." "This is a very important component for the program," he stated.