Bio-ethanol-fossil fuel blend under consideration

A 10% blend of fossil fuel and bio-ethanol gases using sugar cane is being studied, according to Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who says cultivation for this purpose can be done without affecting sugar production.

Ramsammy made this disclosure at a ‘Close-out’ seminar held last week Wednesday on the ‘Expanding Bio-energy Opportunities in Guyana’ technical cooperation agreement with Caricom, which has come to an end after six years.

In addition to Caricom, government had partnered with the Caribbean Renew-able Energy Development Programme (CREDP), the Inter-American Develop-ment Bank, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agricul-ture (IICA) with support from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), and the Organisation of American States (OAS) under the agreement.

Ramsammy said under the agreement a bio-ethanol demonstration plant was installed at the Albion Sugar Estate; over 115 persons from 23 agencies had been trained in bio-energy areas, exceeding its target by more than 60%, and modules and manuals had been developed for use in various technical institutions. Also, the financial instrument to promote investments in this area was signed; checks were made by bio-energy investment delegations and project developers, and, bio-energy projects were identified, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report.

In 2007, the government initiated the preparation of an agro-energy policy and the technical cooperation agreement stemmed from this process. Dr Ramsammy had said that the bio-energy project would accrue many benefits to Guyana as the county had “an opportunity to use agriculture to face the global challenge.”

Other key objectives of the project included improving its capacity to identify and evaluate investment opportunities in the bio-energy production chain, capacity building and the transfer of technology, intuitional strengthening along with developing a financial vehicle to promote investment opportunities and developing a strategy to harness Guyana’s potential for bio-energy production.

Ramsammy said the bio-ethanol demonstration plant has to date produced more than 1000L of fuel and has the potential to produce more when utilised at its full capacity. The industry is considering a 10% blend of fossil fuel and bio-ethanol gases using sugar cane which can be cultivated in the intermediate savannahs specifically for this purpose, he said. Consideration is also being given to using rice husk to produce bio-energy and palm oil for the production of bio-diesel, he added.

In addition, the ministry will soon be launching its own bio-digester for its kitchen and canteen. “It is an example of what can be done,” Ramsammy said. The University of Guyana has also been playing a major role in this field. Final year students made a PowerPoint presentation of a bio-energy plant that can be used for daily activities at the seminar.