Sadaf Sobhani, visiting professor in the Sibley School, attended Global Ethanol Summit

Sadaf Sobhani, visiting professor in the Sibley School, detailed the science of ethanol-blended fuels to a group of industry and government officials from 60 countries at the Global Ethanol Summit in Washington, D.C., Oct. 13-15.

About 350 officials from around the world gathered at the summit, hosted by the U.S. Grains Council, to learn about changing biofuels policies and the potential for expanded global ethanol use. For the past decade, ethanol has been the fastest-growing U.S. agricultural export, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and organizers sought to highlight the economic and environmental benefits of the commodity.

Sobhani, who is also a postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, presented her talk, “Air pollution from gasoline powered vehicles and the potential benefits of ethanol blending,” at the summit. In it, she detailed how engine technology and common fuel-octane enhancers lead to toxic compounds in vehicle emissions. She then detailed some of the benefits of adopting ethanol-blended fuels, which include increased engine performance and a reduction in toxic compounds emitted from vehicles.

“As the global community explores the role of biofuels, such as ethanol, to contribute to the future energy supply, I believe it’s imperative for combustion scientists to interact closely with policy makers and industry leaders to help inform decisions that can impact our environment and human health, including consequences on toxic pollutant formation and CO2 emissions,” said Sobhani.