ETH Bioenergia and Inbicon partner on cellulosic ethanol for Brazil

7 February 2013

ETH Bioenergia of Brazil and Inbicon of Denmark signed a cooperation agreement for the introduction of second-generation ethanol technology into the Brazilian market.

ETH Bioenergia, a company controlled by the Odebrecht Organization, is a leading ethanol and bioelectricity producer in Brazil with nine operating mills. Inbicon, a company fully owned by Dong Energy, is a provider of technology for the production of second-generation ethanol with several years of experience on the operation of a semi-industrial scale demonstration plant in Denmark.

The cooperation program will combine ETH’s industrial, market and innovation expertises with Inbicon technology and know-how to form a strong partnership to bring second-generation ethanol technology into the sugarcane sector. This partnership will speed up the deployment of technologies to produce ethanol and other products from lignocellulosic feedstock, such as bagasse. The aim is to introduce the new technology in facilities owned by ETH but also to offer a very competitive and integrated solution to other ethanol and sugar producers in Brazil.

According to ETH CEO, Luiz Mendonça, the joint ETH-Inbicon technology will open access to more sustainable and competitive biofuels and bio-based chemicals.

The first phase of the cooperation agreement covers among other points a joint investigation on the feasibility to produce ethanol from local sugarcane residues by utilizing the Inbicon technology integrated with existing sugarcane-based ethanol production plants.

The first ETH-Inbicon facility is expected to start up in 2015 with the potential perspective to rapidly expand into the Brazilian market that will further consolidate the concept of a fully integrated biorefinery.