Philippines Explores Alternative Feedstocks for Bioethanol Blend

The Philippine government is exploring alternative feedstock sources to support its plan to increase the mandatory bioethanol blend in gasoline from E10 to E15. The move aims to reduce dependence on imported fuel and contain rising gasoline prices, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Energy (DOE) are assessing various feedstocks, including molasses, sugarcane juice, and corn. Corn is seen as the most promising alternative, particularly to bridge the gap between existing ethanol production capacity and plant capacity.

Sugarcane-based ethanol production currently averages around 325 million to 385 million litres a year, while installed bioethanol capacity exceeds 500 million litres. However, the government wants to avoid displacing existing agricultural production in the sugarcane sector by only using unused ethanol production capacity with corn.