Bioethanol/Petrol Blends Lower CO2 Emissions in Germany by 1.2 Million Tons

German Bioethanol Industry Association (BDBe) hereby announces that bioethanol/petrol blends lowered CO₂ emissions from road traffic in Germany in the first three quarters of 2015 by around 1.2 million tons. Norbert Schindler, Member of the German Bundestag and Chairman of the BDBe: "This means that with every litre of bioethanol, marketed as an additive in Super and Super E10, harmful greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 1.1 kg. This represents 62% lower CO₂ emissions compared to fossil fuels." According to a study on the economic effects of domestic production in Germany, every litre of bioethanol generates added value of EUR 0.50. EUR 0.65 are paid in energy tax.

According to the findings of a study on the economic importance (in German) of the largest site of German bioethanol production in Saxony-Anhalt, another reason for the high added value of around EUR 0.50 per litre are sales of high-quality by-products such as protein-rich animal feed and biogenic carbon dioxide. Gluten, organic fertilizer and bio-methane, for example, are also extracted in other plants. Norbert Schindler, Member of the German Bundestag: "The state-of-the-art bioethanol plants in Germany are evidence for climate mitigation in road transport being possible without subsidies. While enormous financial support is currently discussed for different measures in the energy sector at the COP21 UN Climate Conference in Paris, bioethanol is competitive without subsidies because it generates added value of around EUR 0.50 per litre in domestic agriculture and industry. Additionally, every litre of bioethanol adds EUR 0.65 in energy tax and EUR 0.33 in other taxes and social security contributions to the public purse."

The study shows that the production and use of bioethanol not only contributes to improved climate protection in the transport sector, it is also a "job engine" in structurally weaker rural areas. "Productivity in German plants that do not just produce bioethanol for fuel, but a range of by-products for the food and animal feed industries, reached a record level of more than EUR 632,000 of gross added value per employee and year."

Schindler emphasized: "Particularly in rural areas, competitive jobs have been created by building these bio refineries with cutting-edge process technology, not only in the plants themselves, but also in the upstream and downstream sectors such as trade and commerce."