The car is running ... sake

One day, Japanese drivers can pump sake into their cars to run. A project to produce sake from fermented rice, which is made from fermented rice, is being tested in Shinanomachi, 200 km northwest of Tokyo.

At this place, there is a pleasant smell of aroma similar to the smell of unsalted sake. 'We like this idea. This fuel can be restored ... instead of fossil fuels that are running out, "said Shigehiro Matsuki, mayor of Shinanomachi.

This three-year, government-funded project will provide cheap sake with the help of local farmers. These farmers will contribute to agricultural waste such as rice hulls to produce ethanol.

If this project attracts localities, it could pave the way for similar efforts across Japan, and then 'people will see bio-diesel vehicles export ', professor at the University of Tokyo Yasuo Igarashi, head of the project said.

A hybrid car - fueled with gasoline and ethanol made from rice - is being fueled near a test plant in Shinanomachi on May 11 .

Japan, the world's second-largest oil consumer after the United States, relies entirely on imported crude oil and is currently suffering a surge in oil prices.

With the goal of cutting carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, the country is turning to research into the use of biofuels. Now drivers in Japan are still behind European and American drivers for using green fuel.

However, to produce 0.5 liters of ethanol requires 1 kg of rice, and this is still a challenge for those who undertake the project to produce cheap biofuels that can compete with conventional gasoline, Currently priced at about 135 yen ($ 1.13) per liter.

VY