Agência Brasil*
Rio de Janeiro – Brazilian oil company Petrobras is going to produce second-generation ethanol for export in partnership with private companies. For this reason, the organisation has already evaluated 40 mills and has five projects technically approved.
The export target, starting in 2012, is 4.5 billion litres a year, including first and second-generation ethanol.
"We are working on the conceptual project of the first long distance alcohol pipeline, connecting Senador Canedo, in Goiás (a state in midwestern Brazil), to São Sebastião, in São Paulo (a state in SE Brazil), to sell the produce from the midwest, from São Paulo and from the state of Minas Gerais (also in the SE)," stated the director of the supply area at the company, Paulo Roberto Costa.
He added that the first semi-industrial Petrobras plant for this production should be built starting in 2010, and completion is forecasted for two years later.
Second generation ethanol is obtained from lignocellulose technology. The process uses sugarcane residue, i.e., cane leaves, offering environmental and social and economical advantages, reducing production losses – today, sugarcane bagasse is already used for the generation of electric energy.
"In the same area, I can produce 100 units from cane and another 30 or 40 units from the residue that is currently wasted," stated Costa, adding that the residue may be the leaves and also bagasse, as well as other products like grass and wood. "It is optimisation with products that are currently not used," he added.
Costa pointed out that the greater production in the same area means that it will be possible to "provide better income to the work hands and have more competitive companies, granting social and environmental gains."
*Translated by Mark Ament
