The first bioethanol production plant in the UK is to be set up at Henstridge in Somerset, in the south-west of England. This plant will be built and operated by Green Spirit Fuels, the UK's leading bioethanol company.
This refinery will produce bioethanol from grains of local origin and will supply the biofuel to the authorities of the region, who complete their fleet of vehicles in Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel Vehicle, the first car manufactured to run on Bioethanol in Europe, in as part of the Somerset Biofuel Project.
Bioethanol is mixed with gasoline for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV), which can operate with a mixture comprising up to 85% bioethanol.
This technology is in line with the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) which requires all road fuels to contain 5% biofuel in 2010.
Other products such as animal feed and CO2 (stored in bottles for industrial applications) are also synthesized during the refining of grains into bioethanol. Green Spirit Fuels is looking for partners to distribute its bioethanol more widely.
