Biofuel made from paddy rice is now being sold at a petrol station pump in Niigata, Japan.
The National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations Zennoh (JA Zennoh) began sales of the biofuel, a mixture of petrol and bioethanol made from rice for animal feed, on 17 July. Biofuels International
A mixture of bioethanol produced from brown rice and animal feed is mixed with conventional gasoline to produce a product that is on equal footing with regular gasoline in terms of mileage and pricing, RIA Novosti reports, citing local media outlets in the western prefecture.
Japan began mixing gasoline with bioethanol in 2007, though the use of brown rice as a source is novel. Sales from the brown rice mixture are available locally at 19 gas stations.
Analysts expect annual sales to reach around 8.7 million gallons. United Press International
According to Japan’s National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations Zennoh (JA Zennoh), the bioethanol “is equivalent to regular gasoline both in quality and mileage, and will be available in a similar price range”.
“The project will also promote effective utilization of rice paddies that are left uncultivated due to the government’s rice-reduction program,” JA Zennoh said, adding that it was expecting an annual sale of about 33,000 kiloliters. Checkbiotech.org
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