Domestic Fuel

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) provided comments to the Environmental Protection Agency in support of the request for increasing the amount of ethanol allowed to be blended into regular gasoline in the United States up to 15 percent.

In the final days of the comment period for the waiver request, UNICA submitted a 15 page document to EPA outlining Brazil’s experience with higher blends of ethanol in gasoline. Brazil blends up to 25 percent in gasoline with “very few incidents where the existing fleet had to undergo engine retuning or recalibration or where there were noticeable negative effects on emission control systems over the useful life of the engine.”

UNICA notes that there is no “pure” gasoline currently for sale in Brazil and that “state-of-the-art technologies have been adopted” by automakers to attain the country’s strict emissions requirements.

“The Brazilian experience shows that preparation, storage, transportation and fuel dispensing requirements of E15 blends do not differ from those of E10,” the comments conclude. “Material compatibility requirements and operational procedures are basically the same and should not present any particular source of concern under normal conditions for E15 in the United States.”