China Daily reported on Monday that Heilongjiang, a northeastern province in China, is turning to ethanol for fuel. Since Nov 1, all gas stations in the province have been ordered to provide ethanol-enhanced gasoline.
A Chinese province is stepping up its efforts to turn surplus grain into ethanol fuel, the China Daily newspaper said Monday.
To meet the ever increasing demand for ethanol gasoline for vehicles in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, officials are planning on transforming 345,000 tons of stale grain into the fuel additive, the paper said.
Since Nov. 1, all petrol stations in the province have been ordered to provide ethanol-enhanced gasoline, the paper said. Daily sales of ethanol-enhanced gasoline has reached nearly 3,000 tons in the province, it said.
More than 90 per cent of the petrol stations in the province can supply the new fuel, and it now accounts for nearly 90 per cent of all gasoline now sold there, the China Daily said.
Heilongjiang is the largest grain production base in China. This year, total grain output reached more than 31 billion kilograms or 680 billion pounds.
It takes a lot of money to preserve extra grain every year and a considerable amount is going bad, said Pan Sheng from the Heilongjiang Provincial Grain Bureau. To change it into alcohol is certainly one of the best ways to make use of it.
