Bioethanol from lignocelluloses: Status and perspectives in Brazil.
The National Alcohol Program--PróAlcool, created by the government of Brazil in 1975 resulted less dependency on fossil fuels. The addition of 25% ethanol to gasoline reduced the import of 550 million barrels oil and also reduced the emission CO(2) by 110 million tons. Today, 44% of the Brazilian energy matrix is renewable and 13.5% is derived from sugarcane. Brazil has a land area of 851 million hectares, of which 54% are preserved, including the Amazon forest (350 million hectares). From the land available for agriculture (340 million hectares), only 0.9% is occupied by sugarcane as energy crop, showing a great expansion potential. Studies have shown that in the coming years, ethanol yield per hectare of sugarcane, which presently is 6000 L/ha, could reach 10,000 L/ha, if 50% of the produced bagasse would be converted to ethanol. This article describes the efforts of different Brazilian institutions and research groups on second generation bioethanol production, especially from sugarcane bagasse.
Soccol
Carlos Ricardo
CR
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. soccol@ufpr.br
Vandenberghe
Luciana Porto de Souza
LP
Medeiros
Adriane Bianchi Pedroni
AB
Karp
Susan Grace
SG
Buckeridge
Marcos
M
Ramos
Luiz Pereira
LP
Pitarelo
Ana Paula
AP
Ferreira-Leitão
Viridiana
V
Gottschalk
Leda Maria Fortes
LM
Ferrara
Maria Antonieta
MA
da Silva Bon
Elba Pinto
EP
de Moraes
Lidia Maria Pepe
LM
Araújo
Juliana de Amorim
Jde A
Torres
Fernando Araripe Gonçalves
FA
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D001938:Brazil; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry*; D031786:Saccharum
C036909:lignocellulose; D000431:Ethanol; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin; C027433:bagasse