ePure says 2017 ethanol production reached 5.84 billion liters

In Belgium, European renewable ethanol association (ePURE) members produced 5.84 billion liters of ethanol and 5.71 million metric tons of beneficial coproducts in 2017, according to new audited data released by the industry group.

Some 81 percent of the total ethanol output was for fuel use, with an average of more than 70 percent greenhouse-gas savings compared to petrol in 2017. Ethanol’s GHG-reducing performance increased for the sixth year in a row as the sustainability of European renewable ethanol continues to improve—jumping by more than 4 percentage points over 2016. Of the rest of the ethanol production in 2017, 10 percent was for industrial use and 9 percent for food and beverages.

Virtually all of the feedstock used to produce renewable ethanol by ePURE members—including cereals, sugars, wastes and residues—was grown or sourced in Europe.