Assessing the Sustainability of Ethanol Production in Mexico from Three Crops

Assessing the sustainability of ethanol production in Mexico from three crops

Carlos A. García 1, Fabio Manzini 2, Jorge Islas2

1 Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701 Colonia ExHacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190, Morelia Michoacán, Mexico.

2 Instituto de Energías Renovables, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Privada Xochicalco S/N, Colonia Centro, Temixco, Morelos 62580, México.

The Mexican transportation sector is the largest energy consumer in the country and depends mostly on gasoline. One of the promising alternative fuels according to the experiences of other countries is ethanol. Despite the increasingly important use of ethanol as an alternative fuel, criticisms have arisen production as researchers have warned of negative effects such as CO2 emissions, biodiversity loss , high use of water resources, and food security. To study aspects of the sustainability of ethanol production in Mexico, a Sustainabilty Index (ISUS) was defined using the following indicators: GHG reduction, water use, land use, number of jobs created, and economic costs involved in the lifecycle of each ethanol production modality. Then, calculation of ISUS was performed using the named indicators, previously normalized and applied to three different feedstocks, sugar cane, maize and sorghum. Results show that the best option in terms of sustainability was the production of ethanol from sugarcane direct juice with export of electricity.