ethanol fuel production and use in kenya for sustainable ... - lumes

AbstractThis paper is based on the concept of sustainable development as defined by the Brundtlandreport that requires that present and future needs of especially those of the poor be metwithout jeopardising the environment. The objective of this study is to show in what waysethanol production and use is more sustainable than the dependence on petroleum fuel imports.It will do this by carrying out a comparative analysis of petroleum fuels and ethanol with theaim of understanding the economic, social and environmental impacts encountered with theuse of these fuels. The study used literature review, questionnaires and interview sessions, fordata collection. The results were presented using tables and Causal Loop Diagrams. Thefindings in the study were that imported petroleum fuels are the main commercial forms ofenergy and that petroleum imports are responsible for trade imbalance and inflation. Secondly,the combustion of petroleum fuels leads urban air pollution, human health problems and thebuild up of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere contributing to global warming.Ethanol fuels unlike petroleum are renewable and can be produced from locally availablebiomass. The production and use of ethanol in the country has the potential to generateincomes in the rural areas by boosting the agricultural sector thus bringing social economicdevelopment and environmental benefits. However its end use leads to the emission ofaldehydes and the risk underground water and soil contamination. The study suggests thatpotential crops that could be used for ethanol production are sugarcane and sugar beet and thatthe ethanol processing plants be annexed to already existing sugar factories.The overall conclusion is that depending on the government policies, implementation andmanagement, the production and use of ethanol in Kenya has the potential to bring abouteconomic growth, social development and environmental benefits.ii