Life cycle economic analysis of fuel ethanol derived from cassava in southwest China

For energy security and environmental improvement reasons, the Chinese government is developing biomass ethanol as one of its transportation fuels. Cassava is a good feedstock to produce this ethanol because it has a high starch content and it is abundant in the southern provinces. A computer-based cost model has been developed to assess the life cycle economics of ethanol produced from cassava. The results are compared to gasoline as a base-line case. Although ethanol fuel is not currently competitive with conventional gasoline, these life cycle cost results indicate that, at present market prices, ethanol has the potential to be competitive if there are incentives and improved cassava yields. In addition, this renewable energy could help to alleviate poverty, improve land utilization and bring energy independence in Guangxi province in southeast China. This computer model will be an important tool for the energy policy makers to understand whether an energy alternative is cost-competitive, as well as providing a way to find appropriate measures throughout the entire life cycle that optimizes the process and removes the economic barriers.