Bioethanol is a colourless, flammable liquid principally utilised as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles but it is also increasingly used to fuel indoor and outdoor fires.

Bioethanol fuel is mainly produced by the fermentation of sugars in crops grown specifically for energy use, these includes grains such as maize, myscanthus (‘elephant grass’) and cord grasses, as well as waste straw, willow or poplar chippings and sawdust. There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal waste collections to produce bioethanol fuel.

Bioethanol has a number of advantages over conventional fuels:

1. It comes from a renewable resource
2. Bioethanol does not produce CO² emissions like fossil fuels, as the carbon dioxide given off is simply that absorbed during the growth of the crop material
3. The crop or crops the bioethanol is derived from can be grown in the UK
4. Farmers, and the rural economy in general, benefit by providing the crops and associated services
5. If accidentally spilt outdoors, bioethanol is biodegradable and far less toxic than fossil fuels

So you can buy bioethanol with a confidence that you are not adding to global CO² emissions!