ID: P-060

Brazilian Roadmap For Sustainable Bioenergies Production:

Proposals for Development and Deployment

Rafael Valdetaro Bianchini* (1) (2), Hans-Jurgen Franke (1) (2), Pengcheng
Fu (1) (3), João Miguel Faim Martins (1), Luiz Eduardo Cavedal (1) (2), Fábio
Saraiva Schott (1), Luís & Clímaco Cézar de Souza (4)

(1) Climate-Consulting Ltd., Rua Soares da Costa 135-706, Rio de Janeiro - 20520-100 Brazil
(2) NETLEB - Brazilian Research Center for CleanTechnologies, Energy and Biotecnology
(3) La Wahie Foundation International
(4) AGROVISION-BR Consultancy

E-Mail: rvb@climate-consulting.com

ABSTRACT
Brazil has potential to lead the world in bioenergy production and exportation, supplying foreign
markets and consolidating its position among developed economies. Possessing a vast
agricultural area, innumerable freshwater aquifers and a dominant tropical climate, this nation has
the resources and vocation to implement large crop areas aiming for biofuels and electricity
production along with the ongoing effort to reduce deforestation and promote international food
security. Notwithstanding all positive aspects of Brazilian sugarcane ethanol, specially when
compared to corn bioethanol produced in United States, it still faces resistance in gaining access
to foreign markets. Land competition with food crops and lack of confidence about life cycle (i.e.
greenhouse gas emissions from “cradle to grave”) jeopardize first generation biofuels and
demand technological advances to overcome such issues. During the last years, new practices
adopted by ethanol producers in Brazil (ie.g. harvest mechanization & cogeneration of electricity
with bagasse residues) have already reduced CO2 emissions in Brazilian ethanol's life cycle, but
there is still one key process from the whole productive chain not yet addressed: CO2 emissions
from fermentation tanks. As a large stationary source of pure CO2, capture and separation
processes are not economically prohibitive, and therefore It becomes important to identify
technology to recycle or sequester it permanently. Apart from CO2 management, Brazilian
bioenergy industry begins to look for Miscanthus and other crops for cellulosic bioethanol
production, as well as for synthetic fuels production through gasification and fast pyrolysis
processes. The deployment of an extensive Roadmap is essential to both assess novel
technologies and identify existing gaps at Brazilian industries. The project consists in a series of
workshops with academy, industries, government and society to gather all data. The information
will then be processed in charts, graphics and tables that help managers to priorize actions and
establish efficient strategies to implement a new industry in Brazil without facing undetected
bottlenecks.

Keywords: bioenergies, technology roadmap, sustainability, sugarcane ethanol, biodiesel

1 - INTRODUCTION: THE BIOENERGY SECTOR IN THE WORLD

Bioenergy, defined as energy produced from organic matter or biomass, have recently become
one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing sectors of the global energy economy [1]. Policy
makers and technology developers are both spending huge resources to accelerate the innate
time-lapse demanded for it to reach markets with competitive performances. Such strong effort
can be explained by foreseen growing energy demands opposed to scenarios of peak oil and
consequent price instability [2]. Often seen as a promising solution to support part of oil demand
for transportation, modern bioenergies technologies are advancing with much of the recent
interest focusing on liquid biofuels, in particular ethanol and biodiesel [1]. Even though promising,
the entire production of biofuels represented in 2008 only 2.2% of total fuel demand. However,
this number should increase to 26.0% in 2050 [2]. Figure 1 shows data for biofuels evolution from
2000 to 2008 for both ethanol and biodiesel production.
At the same time that world leaders are impelled to address energy related questions, humanity
faces what some call the biggest crisis in human history: climate change. Increasing greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, especially CO2, from virtually all human activities are verified every year
and it is most likely to be altering natural carbon cycle [3]. This phenomenon added to huge
growth on population and its demands for energy and resources are increasing atmospheric
concentrations of CO2 and other GHG to levels higher than those of the last half Million years,
and temperature seems to be slowly following such tendency [4].
International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Program (IEA GHG) states (Figure 2) that
renewable energy, which includes bioenergy, will play a significant role for world’s effort to reduce
GHG emissions until 2050, aiming for a stabilization scenario of 14Gt CO2 by that year. [2].

1.1 BIOENERGY FOR TRANSPORTATION: BIOFUELS

Currently driven by government policies, world ethanol production for transport fuel tripled
between 2000 and 2008, from 17 Billion to more than 52 Billion liters; while biodiesel expanded
from less than 1 Billion to almost 11 Billion liters, as seen on Figure 1 [5].
The United States and Brazil dominate today’s liquid biofuels production, but many other
governments are now actively considering the appropriate role for biofuels in their future energy
portfolios [1]. Among such countries, strongly developing nations like India, Indonesia and China
take lead as new frontiers for bioenergies expansion. Such players will experience strong growth
in their production and consumption volumes for ethanol and biodiesel, as shown at Figure 4.
European Union countries, especially Germany, but the aforementioned countries, plus Malaysia
and Argentina, will start to play significant roles from now on [6].
The ethanol sector will remain dominated by United States and Brazil, with China and EU
countries playing secondary roles (Figure 6). Figure 3 shows the portion of global production of
liquid biofuels in 2007 and detailed data for biofuels production in top 15 countries, plus EU, in
2008.

2 THE BRAZILIAN BIOENERGY INDUSTRY

Brazil has supported for the last 30 years the biggest ethanol production in the world [7]. Apart
from being a huge effort, especially during times of low oil prices, it brings now an important
technological advantage for the Country. Together with the important position of liquid biofuels in
the international agenda, abundant freshwater resources and arable land, Brazil has achieved
unmatched efficiency for large scale ethanol production, a factor that also positively affects its
competitiveness among international markets [8].
With average productivity of 6.000 liters per hectare/year of ethanol, Brazil easily achieved a
production of 50 Billion liters (i.e. 880 thousand barrels/day) by displacing only 1% of its territory.
There is still currently ca. 260 Million acres of arable land without any production in Brazil, plus ca.
250 Million acre of degraded pastures. Together this number represents amazing 2 Million Square
Kilometers, or 206 Million Hectares of land [8].
Also, sugarcane bagasse from national sugar and ethanol production is capable of generating
50% of Itaipu Hydroelectric (i.e. 7 GWh) without any transmission lines or pipelines [9].
Regarding production costs, Brazil is the only case of success for first generation ethanol. It is the
only country that does not need to subsidize its production by any means and still achieve
competitive prices. Other countries sometimes apply financial incentives that exceed Brazilian
production costs [8].
But Brazilian energetic potential from biomass is far from being restricted to sugarcane ethanol
industry only, but includes a vast portfolio of oil rich species (e.g. Soy, Jatropha, Castor Bean,
Sunflower, peanut, etc.). Only the Brazilian portion of Amazon forest has potential to produce 5
Million barrels per day of palm oil without reducing one single tree. This volume is similar to
predicted stable production of Saudi Arabian oil fields for the next years [7].
About 30% of Brazilian territory is constituted by land not suited for agriculture, but appropriated
for sustainable energetic forestry practices. By using half of this area (i.e. 120 Million hectares),
the Country could produce ca. 5 Billion barrels of oil per year, twice the number for Saudi Arabia
[8].
According to October/2009 FAPRI Reports (Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute), from
Iowa and Missouri Universities, Brazilian biofuels production should achieve ca. 7.749 Million
Gallons in 2009, from which almost 85% is currently being used to supply domestic demands for
fuel [6]. It is currently foreseen an increase of 10.3% for 2010s national production, while it could
reach more than 81% by 2018 [8]. These numbers are encouraging many investors overseas,
and Brazil is experiencing a significant expansion in its ethanol industrial park, as can be seen in
Figure 4. On the other hand, international trade in ethanol and biodiesel has been small so far,
with Brazil playing the major role as supplier and European Union the biggest importer in 2009
[6].

2.1 TECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORMS FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL

Traditional technologies for convertion of biomass in energy (e.g. wood-fired ovens, charcoal, etc)
are still applied in Brazil, specially in rural and forest regions. Together with the existing bioethanol
industries (ca. 400 units) and the first biodiesel plants, the existing technological platform for
bioenergy in Brazil is far from existing forefront advanced technologies (e.g. synthetic diesel from
gasification, bio-oil from pyrolysis, etc). This document intents to propose a new portfolio of clean
technologies that will pave the way for Brazilian bioenergy industries in the near future. Figure 6
illustrates how the existing technological platforms for bioenergy can be applied n Brazil.

2.2 MAKING THE CASE FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION WITH INDIA

India is a very special case due to its vast territory and big populace. Its analogies and differences
with Brazil offer a large spectrum of complimentary actions and make the case for convergent
efforts and strong cooperation [7]. The actual energy dependence from fossil fuels together with
its strong economic development predestinate for India intense technological development
towards biofuels [7].
Possessing strong technology for Jatropha cultivation and biodiesel conversion, India still has
much to develop in the ethanol field; while Brazil has the exact opposite technological situation
(i.e. great ethanol expertise, but still lacking for large scale biodiesel production) [8].
Table 1 and Figure 4 bring precise information about future tendencies for Brazil and India. It
demonstrates, for ethanol, a strong growth on both Brazilian production and Indian importation
until 2018 [6]. At the same time, for biodiesel, numbers show massive growth on Indian
production and consumption rates, while Brazil assumes a modest position for this sector. It is
foreseen that Indian federal and private investments shall implement 13,4 Million hectares of
Jatropha for the next years, indicating strong results from laboratory and field experiments for
existing technology [8].
Thus, strong cooperation between such countries could, at the same time, increase
competitiveness for Brazilian biodiesel production and increase India’s commitment with ethanol
production for domestic supply.
At the same time, the Central-West Region of Brasil – Goiás and Tocantins States – begin
important R&D innitiatives aiming to deploy extensive plantations of Miscanthus Giganteus
Sinensis at both sides of the north-south railway. Supported by Brazilian federal and private
funding, the production of biomass will be: a) transformed in Bio-oil through Fast Pirolisys
Processes developed in Germany, b) converted in synthetic fuels (Synfuels) and electricity
through gasification platforms, and c) burned at existing and new power plants for green
electricity production. The railway will distribute biofuels inside Brazilian large cities and to
Maranhão State for exportations to European and Asian markets.

3 - BRAZILIAN TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR BIOENERGIES PRODUCTION - A

PRELIMINARY SCREENING FOR CANDIDATE TECHNOLOGIES
A preliminary screening was performed by Climate-Consulting and its consultants aiming to
assess forefront low carbon technologies for Brazil and its actual scenario. This initial phase of
work is focused primarily on optimizing the ethanol and biodiesel sectors, increasing productivity
through recovery of lost energy and byproducts. Therefore, much of the aforementioned
technologies will not be approached now, especially forestry related technologies.
It was considered as top priority the recycling of CO2 from fermentation tanks (i.e. used for
ethanol conversion) as for its purity and abundance. Also, the purpose of selecting technologies
from the so called “low carbon techs” is to permanently address weak spots in sugarcane ethanol
life cycle. When captured and recycled into additional fuels, Brazilian ethanol are most likely to
become negative for net emissions - exact calculations still to be finished.
Climate-Consulting and its partners strongly believe that recycling of CO2 into mass algae growth
and conversion into new fuels at biorefineries will be key technology for Brazilian ethanol industry
[10]. Dr. Pengcheng Fu, head of La Wahie Foundation International, recently developed a novel
approach for algal biofuels production. Dr. Fu uses genetically modified cyanobacteria for creating
a fermentation pathway in its metabolism. This way, at the same time they consume CO2 for
photosynthesis, ethanol is yielded as a natural byproduct in the water. This solution is then
separated at a special membrane, delivering pure ethanol without further steps [11]. Figure 5
brings a schematic configuration for Dr. Fu’s laboratorial ethanol production. It is known that for
each liter of ethanol produced, 0.6 Kg of CO2 can be easily recovered and stored at almost no
cost. If we consider 2008 production of 27 Billion liters of ethanol, theoretically 16.2 Million tons
of pure CO2 could be recycled into new fuels and energetic feedstocks (e.g. biomass, syngas). If
cyanobacteria were to be growth by consuming this amount of CO2 while producing ethanol at
laboratorial rates (i.e. 0,523 g of ethanol per gram of CO2 consumed), up to 10.5 Billion Liters of
additional fuel would be generated. Theoretically, this means an additional production of almost
40% of all ethanol produced in Brazil, using as primary feedstock wasted CO2, water, sugar
nutrients and sun light. Further pilot and demonstration projects shall provide more accurate
numbers for this technology, and the ethanol industry in Brazil are most likely to become
astonished by the new economic driver represented by pure CO2 at significant quantities [13].
For mid and long term perspectives, advanced technologies for thermochemical conversion of
biomass are to be largely implemented in Brazil. The Country produces massive amounts of non
used or mismanaged residues from its agricultural sector, and will deploy large areas with non
edible species (i.e. consortiated with sugarcane or in large scale plantations). With yields of ca.
40 tons of biomass per hectare in southern regions of United States, miscanthus is held as the
ideal crop for Brazil to support its R&D programs for second generation biofuels.
As a technological platform for the Country, gasification (conventional or plasma arch) and fast
pyrolysis are potential candidates for Brazilian Biomass-to-Liquids (BTL) and power plants.
Figure 6 brings the preliminary results from Climate-Consulting’s assessment of sustainable
technologies for bioenergy production in Brazil.

4 - WHAT IS A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP - METHODOLOGY AND KEY ASPECTS

OF THE PROJECT
A technology roadmap is a document that identifies (for a set of product needs) the critical system
requirements, the product and process performance targets, and the technology alternatives and
milestones for meeting those targets. In other words, a technology roadmap identifies alternate
technology “roads” for meeting certain performance objectives. A single path may be selected and
a plan developed. If there is high uncertainty or risk, then multiple paths may be selected and
pursued concurrently.
The roadmap identifies precise objectives and helps focus resources on the critical technologies
that are needed to meet those objectives. This focus is important because it allows limited R&D
investments to be used more effectively. This activity consists of an iterative process that fits
within the broader corporate strategic planning, technology planning, and business development
context. It brings together a team of experts to develop a framework for organizing and presenting
the critical technology-planning information to make the appropriate technology investment
decisions.
The main technology roadmap structure is formed by critical system requirements and targets,
technology areas, technology drivers and targets, technology alternatives, recommended
alternatives or paths, and a roadmap report - although with different levels of detail.
Planning activities must link three critical elements: customer versus market needs, products
versus services, and technologies. The corporate vision drives the strategic planning effort, which
generates high-level business goals and directions. Given a corporate vision, strategic planning
involves decisions that identify and link at a high level the customer/market needs and the
products and services to satisfy those needs. Given this strategic plan, technology planning
involves identifying, selecting, and investing in the technologies to support these product and
service requirements.
Technology roadmapping is critical when the technology investment decision is not straight
forward. This occurs when it is not clear which alternative to pursue (e.g., enhance an existing
technology or replace it with a new technology), how quickly the technology is needed, or when
there is a need to coordinate the development of multiple technologies.

5 - DISCUSSION
The Brazilian Roadmap for Sustainable Bioenergies Production will help identify critical issues to
be developed and potential areas of implementation. Research and development, pilot and
demonstration projects will be proposed. National academy and environmental organizations will
be involved in various international protocols and companies will develop multiclient projects
using Brazilian and foreign experience. Specialists will discuss the best bioenergy technologies to
be implemented in Brazil, providing to government and companies a strategic and technical
document that helps to protect their investments.
It is expected that the very first phase of this Roadmap may already encourage development of
other activities for bioenergies production in Brazil than those described in the first phase. Further
steps will also include non technical aspects for the proposed technologies, such as public
acceptance, legal and regulatory framework, technology transfer and R&D programs, and for that
it will demand strong participation from Brazilian government.
The outcome for proposing this complex Roadmap is to help Brazil define sustainable pathways
towards expansion of its energy demand foreseen for next decades. This proposal will help us to
understand how to invest and to increase the share of biomass in the national energy mix with
competitive performances and reduced CO2 emissions.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge, La Wahie Foundation International and AGROVISION-BR
for providing valuable data for this paper.
REFERENCES
1. United Nations Natural Resources Management and Environment Department - UN-Energy
Interagency. Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers, April 2007. A1094/E;
2. IEA WEO (2009). World Energy Outlook 2009. International Energy Agency: Paris, France;
3. Hansen, J., Sato, M., Kharesha., Russel, G., P., Lea, D., W. & Sidall, M. - Climate change and
trace gases Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A July 15, 2007 365:1925-1954; doi:10.1098/rsta.2007.2052;
4. IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. Prepared by Working Group III
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 442 pp.
5. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Towards Sustainable Production and use of
Resources: Assessing Biofuels, 2009. ISBN: 978-92-807-3052-4;
6. AGROVISION-BR - paper 2009: Domestic and International Markets Potential - grains,
oilseeds and bio-fuels analyzing FAO dates from 2006 to 2009 and trends of FAPRI from 2008 to
2018;
7. Vidal, Bautista - paper 2002: "Brazil's position towards the new global environment";
presentation: VII Biofuels Brazilian 2005 Congress;
8. Souza, Clímaco Cézar – Book agr.chains 02: Challenges of Sustainable Agribusiness
Development – 2006 - INEPAD/AGROVISION; Book agr.chains 09: Expanded Logistics to
Agribusiness – 2006 - INEPAD/AGROVISION; presentation 2008: Brazil Bioenergies: potential for
productions and exports; presentation 2009: The New Brasil 2020 agribusiness potentials
Projects;
9. Franke, H., J. & Fu, P. Biofactory for fuel and feed from Algae, Oral Presentation at Worhshop
Implementation of CO2 Reduced Power Plant Technologies, November 27, 2008 - Pretoria, South
Africa;
10. Fu, P. Genome-scale modeling of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and prediction of pathway
insertion - Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, Volume 84, Number 4, April 2009,
pp. 473-483(11)
11. Bianchini, R., V. & Franke, H., J. Roadmapping Sustainable Practices for Bioenergy
production in Brazil, Oral Presentation at 2nd International Workshop on Carbon Capture and
Storage Technologies, November 12, 2009 - Fortaleza, Brazil.

Figure 1: Evolution of ethanol and biodiesel production in the world from 2000 to 2008
Source: REN21 - Renewables Global Status Report, 2009
Figure 2: Sources of CO2 savings in the BLUE Map scenario compared to the Baseline
scenario (WEO 2009)
Source: IEA Energy Technology Perspectives, 2008

Figure 3: left - Portion of global production of liquid biofuels in 2007; right - Biofuels
production in top 15 countries plus EU in 2008
Source: left - UNEP - Assessing Biofuels, 2009; right - REN21 - Renewables Global
Status Report, 2009
Figure 4: Projections for ethanol production and biodiesel consumption until 2012
Source: CARD - Iowa State (Prof. Bruce Babcock), FAPRI, ACTI, FO Licht, UNICA,
ABIOVE, TOEPFER International and ICONE

YEAR 2009 2010 Var.% 10/09 2011 2018 Var.% 18/09

Net Exporters (Million Gallons)
Brazil 1.169 1.466 25,4 1.820 4.896 318,8
China 31 13 -58,1 -9 -91 -393,5
Total Net Exports * 1.201 1.479 23,1 1.820 4.896 307,7
Net Importers
Canadá 260 312 20,0 364 711 173,5
European Union 318 352 10,7 401 617 94,0
Índia 23 59 156,5 90 172 647,8
Japan 196 234 19,4 273 516 163,3
South Korea 104 132 26,9 154 297 185,6
United States 195 250 28,2 353 2.070 961,5
ROW 104 140 34,6 176 423 306,7
Total Net Imports * 1.201 1.479 23,1 1.820 4.896 307,7
Table 1: Ethanol production and trading in 2009 (estimated)
Source: Clímaco Cézar de Souza (AGROVISION-BR), adapted from Food and
Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) - Iowa and Missouri Universities, 2009.
Figure 5: Dr. Fu’s experimental scheme for direct ethanol production via cianobacteria
Source: La Wahie Foundation International, 2008

Figure 6: Brazilian Roadmap for Sustainable Bioenergy Production - Phase 1

Source: Climate-Consulting after different sources
Notes for Figure 6:

- Total technologies evaluated/ selected for the Roadmap exceed those showed on Figure 6;
- It was not considered for this phase biomass direct combustion with CO2 capture;
- It was not considered for this phase utilization of sugarcane bagasse for other purposes than
CHP (also not displayed in this diagram);
- All feedstocks are elegible for gasification;
- Pond/ PBR with Cyanobacteria refers to Dr. Pencheng Fu’s (La Wahie Foundation International)
patented technology for cyanobacterial ethanol direct production [10];
- Biomass/ Plastic Liquefaction Plant employs Catalytic Depolymerization technologies for
hydrocarbon conversion in crude oil, which can be refined into diesel for commercialization.
-An “Algae Factory” stands for all types of controlled systems for large scale algae creation (i.e.
open ponds, closed ponds, PBR), aiming for both cyanobacterial ethanol production or traditional
algal oil extraction.