William Alexander Ojeda, Andrés Felipe Ospina, Lina Marcela Arévalo and Nicolás Javier Gil
Cenicaña, Cali, Colombia; waojeda@cenicana.org
Since 2016, the Colombian Sugarcane Research Center (Cenicaña) has collaborated with six sugar mills to measure the carbon footprint for fuel ethanol production, following ISO 14064-1 standards. In 2022, the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of Colombian bioethanol averaged 469 kgCO₂eq/m³. The harvesting stage accounted for 15% of total emissions, with diesel use being the main contributor and responsible for 90% of the emissions during this phase. Studies on bioethanol injection kits for turbodiesel engines have shown promising results in reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing efficiency. Initial tests on a 99 HP (74 kW) pickup truck showed a 54.5% decrease in emissions opacity, a 20% increase in power, a 10% rise in engine torque, and a 7% reduction in total fuel consumption, reducing the vehicle’s carbon footprint by 11.5%. Tests on harvesters and trucks have also shown promising results. In the harvesters, fuel consumption dropped by 5.4%, cutting their carbon footprint by 10.5%. In the trucks used for sugarcane transportation, an average reduction of 6.3% in fuel consumption was recorded, contributing to a 12.8% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. With Cenicaña’s support, bioethanol injection kits are currently being implemented in four harvesters and seven trucks across multiple mills, with ongoing assessments of their technical, environmental, and economic impacts. This technology has strong potential to support Colombia’s energy transition and lower its national carbon footprint.