Synchronous policy for biofuel

In order to promote the use of environmentally friendly fuels and take advantage of domestic production sources, from August 1, E10 RON95-III bio-fuel will be sold on a pilot basis in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong. In order for bio-fuel to be widely accepted by consumers, a synchronous policy from production, distribution to use is urgently needed.

People buy E10 RON95-III gasoline at a gas station on Thai Thinh Street, Hanoi . (Photo: TRAN THUONG)

Biofuel is safe for engines

During the first days of the pilot sale of E10 RON95-III gasoline, the Vietnam National Petroleum Group ( Petrolimex ) and the Vietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL) sold this gasoline at 42 gas stations (including 36 points in Ho Chi Minh City, four points in Hanoi and two points in Hai Phong). Each liter of biofuel costs 19,600 VND, equivalent to RON92 gasoline and 240 VND lower than RON95 gasoline.

At the gas station on Thai Thinh Street (Hanoi), there are still more people buying E5 RON92 and RON95 gasoline than E10 RON95-III biofuel. Some people said they have heard about biofuel mixed with alcohol but are still concerned about its safety, performance, compatibility with engines, and risk of fire and explosion.

On the first day of trial sales of E10 RON95-III gasoline, each gas station consumed about 1,000 liters. Most buyers are still cautious about biofuel. Many people do not understand what E10 RON95-III gasoline is and how it differs from RON95 gasoline.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Biofuel Handbook, biofuel is a fuel blend between conventional gasoline (RON) and ethanol, where the symbol E is the ratio of mixed alcohol. For example, E10 RON95-III gasoline consists of 10% bioethanol and 90% regular mineral gasoline RON95. Blending bioethanol into gasoline helps replace some previous oxygen-containing compounds such as lead and ether.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, many studies and tests by domestic and foreign scientists and experts show that with a ratio of 10% alcohol in gasoline or less, biofuel does not affect the engines of most vehicles in circulation.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Huu Tuyen, Director of the Center for Research on Power Sources and Self-Propelled Vehicles (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) said that E10 RON95-III gasoline and RON95 mineral gasoline are equivalent in technical properties. This center has conducted research on biofuels such as E5 and E10 gasoline on highly representative models of cars and motorbikes.

Test results show that engines using E10 RON95-III gasoline have the same power and fuel consumption as RON95 mineral gasoline. When using E10 RON95-III gasoline, toxic emissions such as CO and HC are reduced by an average of 20-30%, contributing to improving air quality. In addition, ethanol is of biological origin, so the fuel is renewable, helping to reduce dependence on mineral fuel sources and reduce CO ₂ emissions.

E10 RON95-III gasoline and RON95 mineral gasoline are equivalent in technical properties. This center has conducted research on biofuels such as E5 and E10 gasoline on highly representative models of automobiles and motorbikes.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Huu Tuyen, Director of the Center for Research on Power Sources and Autonomous Vehicles (Hanoi University of Science and Technology)

From the research results, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Huu Tuyen affirmed that most cars and motorbikes in circulation can safely use E10 RON95-III gasoline without needing to make technical adjustments to the vehicle; there is no need to use up the traditional gas tank before filling with biofuel, but can be mixed. Currently, cars and motorbikes in the Vietnamese market all have instruction documents clearly stating that the vehicle is suitable for biofuel with an ethanol content of up to 10%.

However, for vehicles that are 25 years old or older, users should check and consult with authorized service stations before using E10 RON95-III gasoline because some older models may use materials that are not resistant to ethanol such as fuel lines, rubber gaskets or metal fuel tanks. When necessary, users can adjust the engine and replace some parts to be compatible with E10 RON95-III gasoline.

Need policies to encourage use

According to experts, E10 biofuel is not a new fuel. Many countries have used E10 gasoline with different RON indexes (from RON92 to RON95) widely for decades.

In the United States, gasoline with an ethanol content of 10% or less has been widely used for all types of vehicles since the 1970s. The country later developed gasoline with higher ethanol percentages such as E15, E20 and even E85 for specialized vehicles.

Brazil is a leading country in biofuels, currently not using E5 or E10 but commonly using E27 and even some vehicles using only ethanol (E100). In Thailand, E10 gasoline accounts for 70-80% of the retail market share. Long-term use in many countries proves that E10 gasoline is a safe fuel.

According to the roadmap, Vietnam plans to sell this green fuel nationwide from January 1, 2026. Vietnam has great potential to develop bioethanol production thanks to its advantage as an agricultural country with abundant raw materials such as cassava, corn and agricultural waste.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country currently has 6 bioethanol factories with a total capacity of about 500,000m3 per ^year .

Many experts believe that to increase the rate of people using biofuel, it is necessary to implement synchronous solutions. The State needs to issue policies to open up the market. In the first stage, it is necessary to have price support measures such as tax incentives, input ethanol subsidies or commitments to purchase ethanol at stable prices to create trust for production plants. Along with that, it is necessary to increase communication so that people understand E10 RON95-III biofuel.

Ethanol factories need support in terms of capital, technology and planning of raw material areas to stabilize and diversify raw material sources. Most domestic ethanol is still produced from cassava, a raw material with limited reserves and low efficiency, causing production costs to increase, making it difficult to compete with mineral gasoline.

Distributors (gas stations) need incentives to expand their distribution networks. The previous implementation of E5 RON92 biofuel showed that many gas stations stopped selling this product because of low consumption and insufficient maintenance costs. Many people said that the State needs to provide attractive incentives to motivate its use. Currently, the price of biofuel is only a few hundred VND/liter higher than that of mineral gasoline, so it is not attractive enough for consumers to be interested in experiencing and changing their consumption behavior.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen The Luong (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), developing biofuel is an encouraging step but not the only way to reduce emissions in the transport sector. The world is moving towards new generations of fuels such as new generation ethanol from microalgae, hydrogen fuel, biogas or hybrid vehicles. Hydrogen fuel is being tested by many countries on large fuel-consuming vehicles such as trains, buses, heavy trucks and ships.

HA LINH and TRAN THUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chinh-sach-dong-bo-cho-xang-sinh-hoc-post899076.html