生物燃料乙醇是一种以农作物为原料的可再生液体燃料。目前，世界上有近三分之一的国家将乙醇作为汽油组分添加至成品油中，其中包括美国、中国、欧盟、巴西、加拿大、澳大利亚等世界主要经济体。使用生物燃料乙醇有众多好处，包括调节粮食市场、减少二氧化碳排放、降低国家能源对外依存度等。中国政府自21世纪初起，逐步推广乙醇汽油，并将于不久的未来实现在全国范围内使用乙醇汽油的国家战略。本文将细致阐述世界各国，尤其是中国，生物燃料乙醇行业的发展历史及现状，以及乙醇对于中国粮食安全、能源安全及环保的重要意义。
Biofuel ethanol is a type of renewable bioliquid made from biomass. Major economies such as US，China，the European Union，Brazil，Canada，Australia，along with almost a third of all countries have been blending gasoline with ethanol fuel. Its numerous advantages include：adjustment to the grain market，reduction of carbon dioxide emission，and mitigation of foreign energy dependence. Chinese government has begun gradual implementation of ethanol blended gasoline since the turn of this century and will soon realize its national strategy of state-wide ethanol blended gasoline utility. This article reviews the development history and current ststus of biofuel ethanol industry in selected countries with an emphasis on China：the vital importance of ethanol to its national food security，energy security and environment protection.
