Análise econômica, energética, ambiental e de segurança da utilização do etanol hidratado

Abstract

The objective of the work is to carry out an energy, economic, environmental and safety analysis of the use of ethanol biofuel with several levels of hydration. The analysis considers the entire ethanol cycle, from planting to energy production. Ethanol is considered as a potential alternative to traditional fuels, which represents a cleaner and equally efficient source for power generation. The work is classified as an applied, experimental, descriptive and quantitative research. The results showed that the temperature from the edge of the fire pool decreases by 4% with a 10% increase in ethanol dilution. In addition, the flame of ethanol E80W20 would emit 20% less radiation compared to E90W10, however, it is consumed double the energy in the distillation to produce ethanol E90W10. On the other hand, this energy difference in the production of ethanol E70W30 is not enough to compensate for the losses in the use of energy, and also the proportion of water can not make the total cost due to transport. Therefore, ethanol E80W20 can represent a more efficient, cleaner and safer fuel than the E90W10 for free flame applications.