Sugarcane as Feedstock
The Sources of Ethanol
Facing a near-inevitable rise in the demand, and cost, of petroleum products due to the explosive growth of India and China, the worlds attention and investment capital has turned toward developing fuel from other sources. Ethanol is the most attractive candidate.
Ethanol from Corn
Ethanol can be produced, on a mass scale, from corn, but the energy yields are relatively disappointing. Ethanol is produced primarily from starch in corn kernels. Most of the 4 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2005 came from 13% of the U.S. corn crop (1.43 billion bushels of corn grain). When corn is harvested, the kernels make up about half of the above-ground biomass, and corn stover (e.g., stalks, leaves, cobs, husks) makes up the other half. Corn-derived ethanol has relatively high production costs because the starch must first be converted to sugar before being distilled into alcohol.
Further, corn–derived ethanol can damage the environment because it may generate as many or more greenhouse gas emissions than do petroleum fuels. Corn–derived ethanol production can also consume more non-renewable fuels compared to the production of sugarcane ethanol, which, via cogeneration, can operate without outside fuels.
Ethanol from Biomass
Ethanol can also be produced from cellulosic biomass—the most abundant biological material on the planet. At some time in the future, this process may revolutionize the fuel ethanol industry. For now, cellulosic biomass is a complex feedstock that requires more extensive processing than corn grain. Several scientific breakthroughs will be needed to make cellulosic ethanol production sufficiently cost efficient to operate at a commercial scale.
Ethanol from Sugar Cane
By far, the most efficient and environmentally friendly source for ethanol today is sugarcane. A member of the grass family, sugarcane is a common raw material for food, paper, plastics and chemicals. It is currently of leader is providing ethanol on a mass scale because it is relatively easy to grow, easy to process, and produces a very high yield.
Efficiency
Sugarcane is one of the most efficient of all plants at photosynthesis. It can convert up to 2% of incoming solar energy into biomass. This, and the ease with which sugar is extracted from the cane, give sugarcane a huge advantage over competing crops. Compared to corn, sugarcane has a sevenfold advantage in the amount of energy it yields versus the amount of energy needed to produce it.
Each ton of sugarcane has the energy potential of 1.2 barrels of petroleum.
Sugarcane is not grown in rainforest areas
Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical or subtropical climate, with a minimum of 600 mm (24 in) of annual rainfall. There are huge areas of Brazil, in both coastal and south-central regions - not in rainforest areas - that are ideal for sugarcane cultivation. In addition, there are additional large regions of southwest Brazil, currently used by cattle, which could be added to sugarcane cultivation. Cosan has mapped available areas and conducted feasibility studies, considering soil, weather and export logistics. Large regions have proven suitable, making greenfield (fresh use of raw land) projects possible. None of these, of course, are in the Amazon area.
Environmentally friendly
Ethanol as a fuel not only gives the world an alternative to high-priced oil, it is also a cleaner fuel. Adding ethanol to gasoline for automobile use reduces hydrocarbon emissions and ozone formation. It decreases particulate emissions and reduces the combustion output of benzene (a carcinogen) and butadiene.
Practical – already in widespread use
Conventional automobile engines can tolerate E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) without modification. Modest changes to the fuel injection system enable cars to use higher concentrations of ethanol. Flex-fuel engines can run on 85% ethanol and ethanol-only engines use E100 (100% ethanol). Today, approximately half of all cars in Brazil are either flex-fuel or ethanol-only vehicles.
Brazil turns 55% of its sugarcane output into ethanol, 45% into sugar. The ethanol is primarily used as a fuel or, in its anhydrous (dry) form, as a supplement to other fuels, such as gasoline.
Today, all Brazilian gasoline has a legal alcohol content requirement of 20% to 24%.
Cosan – IBC’s joint venture partner and sugarcane/ethanol producer
Cosan is located in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo in south-central Brazil. With state-of-the-art eco-efficient facilities and ideal locations for sugarcane production and transportation, Cosan is experiencing surging growth in ethanol production. In addition to the ideal climatic conditions for growing sugarcane, these locations are in close proximity to port terminals. warehouses, and other transportation infrastructure, thereby enhancing production efficiency. Major research and development organizations are located there as well.
Cosan’s eco-efficient greenfield projects in Goiảs
Cosan’s latest project is a massive development located in the south-central Brazilian state of Goiảs. Fully dedicated to the production of ethanol from sugarcane, this greenfield (on unused soil) project employs state-of-the-art technology on an integrated production platform. Its three mills will have an estimated combined capacity of ten million tons of sugarcane crushing capacity.
