SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company focusing on Jatropha for biofuels, has officially opened operations in Brazil and has named Brazilian entrepreneur and genomics innovator Fernando Reinach as its senior advisor for the market. Reinach will provide strategic planning, business development and executive management support for SG Biofuels Brasil, LTD, the subsidiary that will be based in Sao Paulo. “We …
Brazil Sugarcane Harvest Update
The Brazilian sugarcane harvest is in full swing and sugarcane crushing in the South-Central region totaled 2.44 million tons in the second half of December 2010, a 76.39 percent drop from the same period in 2009. This raises the total since the beginning of the 2010/2011 harvest to 555.00 million tons. In early January, only 21 mills were operating in …
Velasco Leaves UNICA for Amyris
The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) announced today that Joel Velasco, the organization’s Washington, DC-based Chief Representative for North America, is leaving the position he has held since 2007, to join Amyris, Inc., as Senior Vice-President, External Relations. “Joel has provided UNICA with wise counsel, effective strategy and solid results. We wish him well at Amyris and will continue cooperating …
Deforestation Decline Debunks Land Use Change Theory
Rainforest deforestation rates have reached new lows, which further challenges the theory of international land use change that has been used to penalize corn ethanol for its carbon footprint. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced today that deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon declined 14 percent from August 2009 to July 2010, reaching the lowest rates ever recorded …
Brazil Ethanol Industry On Display At COP-16
In an effort to showcase decades of renewable energy use, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) will be participating in events during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-16) and the World Climate Summit (WCS) which are taking place in tandem in Cancun, Mexico from November 29-December 10. According to UNICA, nearly 50 percent of all of Brazil’s energy comes …
Brazil Starts Ethanol Pipeline Construction
Brazilian energy company Petrobras officially began work this week on a $3.3 billion ethanol pipeline that will be able to transport 21 million cubic meters of ethanol per year from north central Brazil’s Goias state to the Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states. Once complete, the pipeline will replace daily delivery runs by 1,500 tanker trucks. At present, 95 percent …
Butamax Unveils Biobutanol Lab in Brazil
Today, Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC, a partnership between BP and DuPont to develop biobutanol, announced the opening of a biobutanol technology laboratory in the city of Paulínia, São Paulo state, Brazil. Butamax CEO Tim Potter joined Ricardo Vellutini, DuPont do Brasil’s President and Vice President of Agricultural Products for Latin America, for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Media were also welcome …
UNICA Urges Congress to End Ethanol Tariff
“As the dust settled on a midterm election that significantly altered the political landscape, voters sent a clear message that cutting the deficit and ending wasteful government spending should be top priorities for Congress. Americans will be watching closely to see if lawmakers got the message. Eliminating ethanol subsidies and trade protection would be a good way to indicate that …
ADM to Construct Biodiesel Plant in Brazil
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is increasing its biodiesel presence in Brazil with its announcement that it will be constructing a second biodiesel plant in Joaçaba, Santa Catarina. The new plant will be adjacent to the existing ADM soybean crushing and refining facilities and will more than double ADM’s biodiesel production in the country. Construction is set to begin in …
Brazilian State Mato Grosso Considers Corn Ethanol
The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso is looking at producing ethanol from the state’s excess corn to reduce the miles Brazilian sugarcane ethanol would travel. On Wednesday, a combined industry and governmental committee that has been formed to study corn, announced that it has commissioned a study by state researcher Embrapa to look at the viability of producing corn ethanol. …