Sugar cane-based ethanol is one reason why the government
predicts that for the first time in its history, Brazil will export as much oil as it
imports.
Recent studies in the United States have suggested that the entire American corn crop
would provide enough fuel to replace only about 12 percent of U.S. gasoline demand. To
help plug that potential gap, some in the United States have advocated importing ethanol
from Brazil. Though Brazil currently provides about 5 percent of U.S. ethanol, a duty of
54 cents per gallon -- a measure designed to protect American farmers -- makes a
large-scale trade relationship unlikely.
"We would never be able to supply the United States with any substantial quantity of
ethanol," said Carvalho, of the producers union. "But we could offer an
equilibrium supply if the consumers in the U.S. had a voice in the matter. But it's the
Midwest corn producers that are holding it up."
Comparing sugar cane ethanol with corn-based fuel in terms of the reduction of carbon
dioxide and greenhouse gases is one that Brazilians such as Carvalho love to make. The
ethanol extracted from corn yields only about 15 to 25 percent more fuel than the fossil
fuels that were used to produce it. In Brazil, according to industry studies, the
sugar-based ethanol yields about 830 percent more.
However, many experts in all aspects of Brazil's industry agree that the future of ethanol
resides neither in sugar nor corn, but in cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel that theoretically
could be extracted from almost anything from switch grass to scrap paper. The United
States is leading research into developing cellulosic technology, and the Energy
Department this month announced it was dedicating $250 million for two new research
centers dedicated to the cause.
At the sugar plants in Brazil, operators say they believe the future is already on
display: Most of the plants burn bagasse, the leftover tissue from the sugar cane stalks,
to power the production facilities. Because Brazilian cane has been genetically bred to
yield more sugar throughout the years, the stalks are particularly weak -- which makes
them easy to break down, and ideal for converting to energy.
Many believe that if cellulosic ethanol becomes accepted it will be the best idea for the
future and Brazil will be the best place to demonstrate it. |
