Brazil
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
NREL and Petrobras to Collaborate on Advanced Biofuels Research
November 21, 2008
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) have signed an agreement that could accelerate the development and international commercialization of advanced, second-generation biofuels. The announcement was made at the International Biofuels Conference in São Paulo, Brazil.
Petrobras and NREL have common interests in the development of next-generation biofuels technologies through biochemical and thermochemical routes from biomass. NREL conducts R&D related to techno-economic, environmental and sustainability evaluation of advanced biofuels in support of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and other partners.
More... | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Monsanto Acquires Brazilian Sugarcane Breeding and Genomics Companies for $290M
November 03, 2008
 |
| Sugarcane, a monocot, can benefit from Monsanto’s existing work on its corn platform. Click to enlarge. |
Monsanto is acquiring Aly Participações Ltda., which operates the sugarcane breeding and biotechnology companies, CanaVialis S.A. and Alellyx S.A., both of which are based in Brazil. The $290-million (R$616 million) cash purchase marks a major move by Monsanto into the large-acre row crop. Monsanto said that the acquisition was driven by long-term changes driving greater global demand for food and biofuel sources.
CanaVialis is the world’s largest private sugarcane breeding company. Through its breeding activities, CanaVialis is developing and commercializing proprietary germplasm that is anticipated to bring significant yields to sugarcane over publicly available varieties. Alellyx is an applied genomics company that is focused on developing biotech traits primarily for sugarcane.
More... | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
SEKAB and Brazilian Partners To Introduce “Verified Sustainable Ethanol”
May 26, 2008
The Swedish company SEKAB, which delivers about 90% of all ethanol in Sweden for E85 and ED95 (ethanol for heavy-duty vehicles using compression ignition engines, earlier post), announced that it will be the first company to supply verified sustainable ethanol. This ethanol from Brazilian sugarcane is quality-assured from environmental, climate and social perspectives, according to the company.
SEKAB, together with Brazilian ethanol producers, launched a Sustainable Ethanol Initiative and developed criteria that cover the entire lifecycle of ethanol from the sugarcane fields to its use in flexi-fuel (FFV) cars. The criteria are in line with demands highlighted in the ongoing processes being led by organizations like the UN, the EU, the ILO and a number of NGOs.
More... | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
BP To Take 50% Stake in Brazilian Ethanol Company Tropical BioEnergia SA
April 24, 2008
BP announced today that it intends to take a 50% stake in Tropical BioEnergia SA, a joint venture established by Brazilian companies Santelisa Vale and Maeda Group, which is constructing a 435 million liter (115 million gallons) a year ethanol refinery in Edéia, Goias State, Brazil. The joint venture, in which Santelisa Vale and Maeda Group would each hold 25%, also intends to build a second ethanol refinery, investing a total of approximately R$1.66 billion (US$1 billion) in the two refineries.
Assuming all the required approvals are received, BP will pay around R$100 million (US$59.8 million) for the 50%, subject to working capital adjustments, and provide funding for agreed future investment in line with its shareholding. The parties said that they hoped to be able to complete the transaction before the end of June 2008.
More... | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
São Paolo Puts Ethanol Bus into Service in BEST Project; E25 Prius Hybrids Under Test
December 23, 2007
 |
| The Scania-based E95 bus in São Paolo. |
São Paulo, Brazil’s Sistema Metropolitano de Transporte (Metra—Metropolitan Transport System), has put into operation the first Scania-based E95 ethanol bus it will test as one element of Brazil’s two-part involvement in the BioEthanol for Sustainable Transport (BEST) project. (Earlier post.)
Scania delivered the bus chassis in May 2007; the bus was completed in Brazil. The Scania ethanol bus uses 95% ethanol with 5% ignition improver in a modified diesel engine, the third-generation variant of the E95 application. Scania has raised the compression ratio from 18:1 to 28:1, added larger fuel injection nozzles, and altered the injection timing.
