Brazil Launches Biofuel from Sugarcane Promotion - 3/04/08

Brazil is launching a 10 million dollar international campaign promoting biofuel made from sugarcane.  The purpose is to increase the awareness of sugarcane being used in the biofuel industry. 

The promotion is a partnership between Brazilian trade promotion agency Apex and the sugarcane industry association Unica.  The promotion will run to the end of 2009.  The aim is to build up the international biofuel market which practically does not exist.

Unica’s Marcos Jank said biofuel only represents one percent of the production of fossil fuel. 

Aprex’s president Alessando Teixeira said demand for ethanol from crops is growing.  He went on to say Brazilian ethanol from sugarcane is the most viable alternative over corn, beetroot and other crops.

Ethanol in the United States is made mostly from corn, producing 28 billion liters in 2007.
Brazil was second with 22 billion liters made from sugarcane.

The expansion of the ethanol industry is due to record prices of fossil fuels.  The European Union has called for biofuels to be used in a least 10 percent of fuels in transport by 2020.  More than 80 percent of cars in Brazil can operate on ethanol, gasoline or a mix of both.

For more information on Brazil and ethanol production go to these links
http://www.beyondfossilfuel.com/ethanol/brazil_argentina_0201608.html
http://www.beyondfossilfuel.com/ethanol/brazil_0513.html  

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