The Success and Sustainability of the Brazilian Sugarcane−Fuel Ethanol Industry

Currently, Brazil has 410 sugar and ethanol plants that crush about 660 million tons of cane per crop, producing about 28.5 billion liters of ethanol and 38.7 million tons of sugar. New sugarcane varieties launched in the last two years are less demanding in water, have high sugar concentration, and are more adaptable to mechanical harvesting. Regarding the sustainability of ethanol production from sugarcane, it is essential to consider the use of the land, reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), bioelectricity production from bagasse, energy balance of ethanol produced from sugarcane and reduction of vinasse. No other technology available to date has been able to transform the sun's energy and to reduce carbon emissions as efficiently and economically as the production of ethanol from sugarcane and its use as biofuel. This amazing combination of the sun’s energy, fixation of CO 2 by sugarcane, and the transformation of sugars into a high quality, clean, liquid fuel has made the ethanol industry in Brazil a success as well as an example of sustainability.