Brazil Launches E35 Gasoline Testing to Evaluate 35% Ethanol Fuel

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and related technical institutions are advancing feasibility validation for raising the upper limit of ethanol blending in gasoline. After the market began adopting E32 blended fuel (gasoline containing 32% anhydrous ethanol) in early August, laboratory tests and field trials for E35 gasoline (35% ethanol content) have been successively launched. This adjustment is part of Brazil's "Fuel of the Future" program (Combustível do Futuro), and if approved, each liter of commercial gasoline would contain 350 milliliters of anhydrous ethanol and 650 milliliters of pure gasoline.

The focus of the government and various technical committees in the coming months is to ensure engine durability before any final announcement. The current timeline includes intensive assessments supported by specialized institutions (such as the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia) to monitor fuel behavior. Long-distance driving tests focus on analyzing the potential impacts of high-proportion biofuels: regarding sealing components, checking for early wear of hoses, O-rings, and fuel pumps; regarding corrosion and injection, evaluating possible damage to fuel injectors and metal parts in contact with fuel; regarding exhaust systems, monitoring actual pollutant emission levels in relation to environmental targets. Although approximately 80% of the country's active fleet is equipped with flex-fuel technology, the analysis pays special attention to motorcycles, imported vehicles, and models produced before the dual-fuel engine era.

Raising the ethanol ratio aligns with the federal government's strategic goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing dependence on imported petroleum derivatives, and boosting the domestic sugarcane energy industry. On the other hand, this development also sparks discussions about vehicle fuel consumption performance. Since ethanol has a lower calorific value than gasoline, drivers can expect to notice a slight increase in fuel consumption, requiring more frequent refueling. As the testing phase fully unfolds, automotive industry institutions and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) expect that the final technical report will guide the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) in determining the official date for nationwide adoption of the new blended fuel.