British see the promise of ethanol

Folks in Great Britain might drive on the wrong side of the road, but they’re going in the right direction in one aspect of transportation: using more clean-burning ethanol.

To get greener, British leaders recently announced that the country is pumping more ethanol into its fuel supplies. Starting later this year, Great Britain is setting its fuel standard at 10% blends of ethanol. Currently, only 5% blends are allowed.

With more E10, the British will begin to enjoy the benefits that people in the United States and plenty of other countries have experienced by increasing the use of renewable fuels. The air will be cleaner because using E10 reduces tailpipe emissions of harmful pollutants. Blending more ethanol will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In a recent study, researchers at Harvard and other universities found that corn-based ethanol’s carbon intensity is 46% lower than that of gasoline.

Engines in the United Kingdom will also run better because it enhances performance. 

U.S. biofuel groups hailed the move by Great Britain as an example of how biofuels are being used around the world to achieve their climate targets. 

“We look forward to the environmental benefits that E10 will bring not only to the U.K., but to decarbonization efforts across the world,” the groups said.