Energy and GHG balances of ethanol production from cane molasses in Indonesia

The study finds that ethanol produced from cane molasses in Indonesia results in a 67% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline, with emissions estimated at 29 gCO2e per MJ. While the Net Energy Value is -7 MJ/l, the Net Renewable Energy Value is 17.7 MJ/l and the energy yield ratio is 6.1. The analysis indicates that results are highly sensitive to molasses price, ethanol yield, and sugarcane yield, and suggests that energy and environmental gains can be improved through biogas recovery from wastewater and surplus bioelectricity generation via efficient cogeneration using sugarcane biomass residues.

• Fuel ethanol produced from cane molasses in Indonesia generates estimated life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of 29 gCO2e per MJ, representing a 67% reduction compared to emissions from gasoline.
• The energy metrics for the production process include a Net Energy Value (NEV) of −7 MJ/l, a Net Renewable Energy Value (NREV) of 17.7 MJ/l, and an energy yield ratio (ER) of 6.1.
• Sensitivity analysis shows that emissions and energy values are strongly influenced by the price of molasses, ethanol yield, and sugarcane yield. Furthermore, environmental and energy gains can be enhanced by using sugarcane biomass residues for cogeneration and recovering biogas from wastewater treatment plants to substitute fossil fuels.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2016). Energy and GHG balances of ethanol production from cane molasses in Indonesia. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-ghg-balances-ethanol-indonesia/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Energy and GHG balances of ethanol production from cane molasses in Indonesia. 2016. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-ghg-balances-ethanol-indonesia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Energy and GHG balances of ethanol production from cane molasses in Indonesia |date=14 January 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-ghg-balances-ethanol-indonesia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2016energy, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Energy and GHG balances of ethanol production from cane molasses in Indonesia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-ghg-balances-ethanol-indonesia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }