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DOE Ethanol Workshop Series

A New Frontier: Benefits & Opportunities for Fuel Ethanol Production and Use

August 24, 2001
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Caribe Hilton San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Workshop Summary

The Puerto Rico Ethanol Workshop was held at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Friday, August 24, 2001. Approximately 50 people attended with about equal participation from the private sector and government agencies. With a majority of the audience Spanish speaking, much of the program was presented in Spanish with some translation.

We thank Dr. Rafael Nieves of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, fluent in Spanish and one of the workshop presenters, for providing this summary of the program:

Puerto Rico’s Secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources attended and gave the opening speech. The meeting was also attended by Dr. Guillermo Riera, Administrator of the Puerto Rico Energy Affairs Administration, Gerson Santos-Leon, U.S. Department of Energy, Ted Berglund of Masada, and various industry and local government officials.

Puerto Rico is just now beginning to consider the serious possibility of using alternative energy sources, and the Puerto Rico Power Authority is beginning to become interested in such technologies. Oil is the major power source for energy production, and all is imported. The local sugar cane producers and related industries would have great interest in having a resurrection of their feedstock for ethanol production. This industry has been quite depressed for many years.

Mr. Gerson-Santos Leon gave a brief overview of the DOE's projections for fossil fuel use and shortages. Dr. Rafael Nieves (NREL) made a presentation entitled "Introduction to Ethanol" in which he covered legislative history of ethanol, ethanol production from corn and biomass, and ethanol production today in the U.S. Mr. Ted Berglund (U.S.-based Masada) covered the Masada process and the potential application to the island of Puerto Rico. The island produces 8,000 tons per day of Municipal Solid Waste, although industrial cardboard is recycled and shipped to Venezuela and could be looked at as a viable feedstock for a biomass-to-ethanol facility.

Approximately 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline are used in Puerto Rico in a year, all of that blended with MTBE. The use of MTBE has not been addressed, but a 10% blend market of ethanol could justify the construction of a biomass/soluble sugar-based plant on the island.

Wrap-Up Session

Dr. Guillermo Riera, Administrator of the Puerto Rico Energy Affairs Administration, directed the wrap-up session at the end of the day. Inocencio Rodriguez recorded audience comments. Recommendations discussed included the following:

1. Mayors, farmers and government agencies, universities and others interested in the use of biomass as a renewable source of energy should work in accordance in order to support and implement these projects.
   
2. Meetings should be established between all government agencies (10-15 participants) to enhance consistent and accurate information.
   
3. Places to relocate solid wastes should be identified while recycling practices (many landfills are closing) are taken into account in all municipalities.
   
4. Recycling methods should be taught in public schools; in other words, education plays an important role.
   
5. Creation of committees:
   
   • Committee of investigation.
     
   • Committee of education and promotion.
     
   • Committee of legislation.
     
   • Committee of technology transfers and lead projects.
     
   • Committee of agriculture.