Staatsolie will test 20 cars in December that
will run on a mixture of ethanol and gasoline. The test programme will
last five months and will be carried out by the Anton de Kom
University. In the long run, the company is planning to introduce
Suriname to green, environmentally-friendly and relatively
more-sustainable fuel.
The 20 test cars are currently running on normal unleaded
gasoline in order to gather the basic information of each vehicle.
Starting in December, they will run solely on the E15 bio fuel
for a period of four months, during which the effect of E15 on engine
performance, fuel consumption and exhaust gases will be carefully
logged. The E15 bio fuel is a mixture of 15% by volume ethanol and 85%
by volume unleaded gasoline. This is a proven method - not least in
neighbouring Brazil where most new cars run on so-called flex-fuel -
that reduces costs and has a beneficial impact on the
environment. The ethanol is produced from sugar cane, which grows very
easily in Suriname, and decreases carbon monoxide emissions.
Staatsolie is currently researching the feasibility of
producing ethanol from sugar cane at Wageningen in the Nickerie
district in western Suriname. By the end of 2014, the
company's new refinery will produce gasoline and it will most probably
mix this with ethanol. By then, E15 should be readily available at the
pumps throughout the country.
For more news and expert analysis about Suriname, please see Suriname Politics & Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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