Smuggled Alcohol Turning Sweden Green

National Geographic writer, Stefan Lovgren, reported that Sweden, last year, confiscated somewhere around 200,000 gallons of illegal alcohol brought into its borders. Normal disposal was to pour it down the drain. That has become a thing of the past.

Lovgren quoted Ingrid Jarlebrink, of the Swedish Customs agency, as saying, "This alcohol, which used to go to waste, is now turned into something that's positive for the environment."

The contra ban is being converted to biofuel. This fuel is helping to power city transportation vehicles, sanitation trucks, "and even a train", according to the report.

According to the National Geographic, over 1/4th of all energy used in 2004 was generated from renewable sources. The average in the European Union is only 6%. The report sites Stockholm as an example where 1/4 of the city buses use biogas or ethanol.

This is a great way to kick off Sweden's 2006 pledge to become totally oil-free by 2020. This would make Sweden the first in the world to accomplish this feat.

Many who live in Sweden are traveling into neighboring countries to stock up on alcohol. This is because Sweden has one of the highest markups on spirits in all of Europe.

However, according to the National Geographic, when travelers bring in too much, the Swedish customs agents must confiscate the excess.

The alcohol is mixed with water and transported by tanker to a processing plant in Linkoping. Swedish Biogas owns the plant that produces some 250 million cubic feet of biogas each year.

The process calls for the alcohol to be mixed with other natural energy sources like human waste and slaughterhouse remains. The mixture "is heated and put into anaerobic digesters." Biogas is the result of the organic materials breaking down.

The National Geographic reports that Linkoping uses biogas for roughly 6% of fuel used for transportation. All the public transportation buses are running on alternative fuel. This city has a population of 140,000, the equivalent of Clearwater, Florida.

Managing director of Swedish Biogas, Carl Lillehook told National Geographic when a liter of gas is burned there is 2.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released. He was quoted as saying, "By replacing 5 million liters (1.3 million gallons) of gasoline with 5 million cubic meters (176 million cubic feet) of biogas, we can save 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in Linköaping alone."

One of the perks of making the biofuel is the "environmentally friendly fertilizers" produced as it's bi-product. This fertilizer is sold to local farmers.

Swedish Biogas has a biogas train that has been running along Sweden's southeastern coast for the past year and a half.

Lillehook says that producing the biogas is cheaper than producing gasoline. The problem comes during distribution.

There are no pipelines to distribute the product. It must be bottled and shipped. This raises the cost. The biofuel still comes out ahead because it is not under the same taxation as gasoline.

Of the 4 million cars in Sweden, about 1% of them are fueled with biogas. There are certain advantages to driving a "green" car. According to the report, alternative energy cars can wave the road tolls in Stockholm. They are also able to park for free in many of the larger cities across Sweden.

Sweden launched a new program last month that allows the Swedish government to award cash incentives to owners of "green" cars. Cash in the amount of $1,400.

Source: National Geographic, Stefan Lovgren; Alcohol, Feces, Carcasses Fuel Green Vehicles in Sweden, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070625-swedish-biogas.html