Ethanol as a lead replacement: phasing cut leaded gasoline in Africa

The rising cost of lead additives and of gasoline, and the falling cost of ethanol and sugarcane, have created favorable economic conditions for fuel- ethanol production. In Africa, where lead additives are still heavily used and where sugarcane production is high, ethanol can be a cheap source of oc tane. More than enough sugarcane is produced in Africa to replace all the l ead used in African gasoline; this would require Africa to produce about 20 % of amount of ethanol currently produced in Brazil, and would require the shift of some sugar production to ethanol production. At a more modest scal e, African countries that could replace lead with ethanol using primarily t heir by-product molasses production include Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt, Zaire, Zambia, Sudan, Swaziland, and Mauritius. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.