Apr 09, 2010
Brazil Gets One Step Closer To Cellulosic Ethanol
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Second generation ethanol production, called cellulosic ethanol, involves the use of plant residues in the process of making ethanol. It is a more complicated process than using corn or sugarcane because it involves the use of enzymes to break down and convert the cellulose into sugars that can then be fermented to make ethanol.
Researchers in Brazil (both public and private) have been working for a decade to develop the enzymes necessary to break down the plant fibers. The Center for Sugarcane Technology (CTC) and the National Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (CTBE) are in the process of building a pilot plant that uses the fiber residue left over from sugarcane once the juices have been extracted. Researchers feel they have made enough progress to make cellulosic ethanol a profitable venture.
Brazil has a big advantage in producing cellulosic ethanol because they do not need to develop new crops to produce the cellulose, the plant residue already exists in the form of sugarcane residue and it is conveniently located at the sugar/ethanol plants. After the sugarcane is crushed, the left over plant residue is generally burned to produce electricity to run the sugar mill. It is also being used in some cases for animal rations and to make biodegradable packaging. There is so much plant residue in fact that sugar mills make more electricity than what they need to operate the mills and the excess is sold back into the electrical grid. The burning of sugarcane residue is already generating approximately 3% of Brazil's electricity.
Brazilian plant breeders are also developing new sugarcane varieties that not only produce a high level of sucrose, but also are high in fiber content that could be used to make cellulosic ethanol. Brazil has all the advantages to eventually lead the way in cellulosic ethanol production. Brazil has an amply supply of raw material, the industrial infrastructure already exists, the country has a 40-year history of producing ethanol, and foreign capital is pouring into the country in anticipation of an ever-expanding sugar/ethanol production.