USDA hosts ethanol workshop for Mexican authorities

In Mexico, Mexican authorities considering how ethanol fits into their country’s energy mix heard from U.S. researchers about air quality, lung health and other quality of life benefits and from Colombian and Paraguayan regulators about their successful implementation of biofuels programs at a recent workshop hosted by Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy (SENER) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Mexico City.

For two days, national and foreign experts shared their experiences and technological advances in production, distribution and commercialization of ethanol for mixture with fuels. Environmental issues were a specific focus of the event, with topics covered including ozone formation, air quality in high altitude metropolitan areas like Mexico City and ethanol’s effects in vehicles and on health. The economic, social and environmental advantages and disadvantages of ethanol in comparison to other oxygenates such as MTBE and aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene, were also discussed in depth.