Production and use of fuel ethanol in Brazil - BAFF

The overall results for the State of São Paulo include:
+ 33 percent tons of sugar-cane per ha; + 8 percent sugar in the cane
+ 14 percent conversion of cane sugar into ethanol
+ 130 percent productivity in fermentation (m 3 ethanol / (m 3 reactor/day)
D1.3.
What is expected from new technologies for the
next few years, with important impacts on costs
and quality?
In addition to the actions aimed at a strong dissemination of technologies that are
already commercially available, innovation in ethanol production processes and
product diversification (from sucrose and lignocellulosic sugar-cane waste) are going
to take place.
In 2000, the production cost reductions resulting from additional implementation of
technologies that were already commercially available in the Center-South region
were estimated at up to 13 percent.
New processes include “precision agriculture”, integrated sugar-cane and straw
reaping and transportation systems, much more industrial automation, and new
separation processes (juice and final processing). The genetic modification of sugarcane
is advancing very fast in Brazil (on experimental scale, including field testing),
the sugar-cane genome was mapped ion 2001 and São Paulo, and a few dozen
projects (applications: functional genome) are being developed by both public and
private institutions.
Product diversification is being sought, including sucrose products (at new industrial
plants, whether or not annexed to existing plants) and ethanol chemistry, as is an increase
in energy production from the sugar-cane biomass. Excluding sucrose, the energy
contained in one metric ton of sugar-cane (including the straw) is equivalent to 2/3 of the
energy contained in an oil barrel. That biomass can be recovered at relatively low costs,
and less than half of it is used today. Available technologies can generate additional electric
power corresponding to 30 percent more than the sugar and ethanol sale price using
the bagasse and 50 percent of the straw. The development of an efficient conversion of
biomass into ethanol (expected for the next ten years) could lead to an equal additional
sale value.
D. Technologies: evolution and potential
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