Sugarcane bioethanol in Brazil
Meghan Rens
2013952327
7.12.2013
1553 words INTRODUCTION
Sugarcane bioethanol is the most successful alternative fuel to date. Unfortunately, only Brazil and its favourable weather conditions, expansive territory, and large unskilled labor can provide the ideal situation needed for the exploitation of this renewable energy. Being the second largest producer in the world and the first net exporter, bioethanol is largely used for domestic consumption in Brazil, as it has replaced 40% of gasoline consumption, which has enabled the country to significantly reduce its dependence on oil. The first major milestone in the development of this alternative energy was the ProAlcool program in 1975, where in response to the oil crisis, the Brazilian government made huge investments to produce ethanol to stop its dependence on imported oil. However, it is only in 2003 that bioethanol really took off when fuel-flex vehicles came to the market. Unfortunately production levels have been stagnating and even decreasing since the 2008 financial crisis as there have been fewer investments, adverse weather conditions and high sugar prices (Walter, 2013). As such, sugarcane bioethanol has made many achievements, but it also faces many challenges. This paper will attempt to give a comprehensive overview of the situation of sugarcane bioethanol in Brazil and consider the prospect potential of this energy in Brazil. In order to elaborate on this topic, this paper will start by reviewing the achievements that this renewable energy has made, such as fuel flex cars, bio electricity and second generation biofuels. Then, the challenges of sugarcane bioethanol will be considered. Finally, this paper will conclude with the prospects of bioethanol, summarising the positive and negative aspects of bioethanol, making recommendations as well as making estimations for the future.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Sugarcane bioethanol is particularly ecofriendly because it is able to maintain a balance of energy, it produces as much carbon dioxide than it consumes in the photosynthesis of the next crop cycle. But there are many other achievements that sugarcane bioethanol has delivered. The first one is fuel-flex cars, an option offered on 90% of cars today to run on gasoline, hydrated ethanol, or on a proportional mixture of both (18-25% gasohol) to respond to price changes. This technological development is an incredible achievement and a major driver for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as studies have estimated that it reduces 86-90% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (Walter, 2013). A second major development in the advancement of sugarcane bioethanol is the absorption of the number one American corn bioethanol producer by the largest national sugarcane bioethanol producer, Copersucar. As the Brazilian enterprise bought a majority stake in the US biofuel marketer Eco-Energy Inc. to gain direct access to fuel distributers and occupy 12% of the global bioethanol market. This significantly strengthens sugarcane biofuel as an alternative source of energy as strengthened and diversified access to markets creates an insurance of constant supply (Eco-Energy, 2013). An important development in the field of sugarcane bioethanol is its usage in aviation. Amyris, a jet fuel producer has recently signed a partnership with the Brazilian aviation company Azul Brazilian Airlines to start flying on sugarcane-based jet fuel. Their first official flight was launched in 2012 during the Rio +20 United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development. This fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 82% and is expected to be available on the domestic market within a couple of years (Nevez, 2013). There is also a substantial amount of bioelectricity derived from sugarcane bioethanol as in 2009 sugarcane bioethanol provided 4% of Brazilian electricity production, and by 2020 this number is expected to significantly increase to 18% of domestic electricity demand, becoming an important competitor on the electricity market. But the most important innovations in sugarcane bioethanol are the ones that are yet to be made in the second generation biofuels. Indeed, for the moment, sugarcane bioethanol is not being exploited to its full potential. As figure 2 shows us, from sugarcane one can derive juice, bagasse and straw, but for the moment only only juice is being used. Through technological development of cellulosic ethanol, it is expected that bagasse and straw will also be able to be used to further produce more ethanol and in different forms, as the microbes from the bagasse are already used to produce bioplastics, which Toyota is already using in its car manufacture. There are relatively little hurdles to this technological development apart from cost-effective efforts and expensive processing techniques (Arruda, 2011).

Unfortunately the list of challenges is a lot more extensive than the list of achievements. Indeed, sugarcane bioethanol produces many negative environmental and social impacts that should not be ignored. Soil degradation is a very big problem in the production of bioethanol as it causes important soil erosion and compaction due to constant traffic of heavy industrial machinery, destroying the soil’s physical properties such as its porosity, density, root development and crop productivity. However, there has been an initiative to combat against this environmental degradation, namely the “low impact mechanisation project” which consists of controlling machinery traffic on soil, banning till farm and conducting precision agriculture to ensure the sustainability of the soil (Arruda, 2011). Secondly and linked to this is the deterioration of aquatic systems. As sediments, pesticides and wastes in soil are transported downhill to water streams, they lose their water holding capacity due to excess sediment or get heavily contaminated from the waste and heavy metals causing eutrophication of the aquatic systems through nitrogen pollution (Nevez, 2013). Ecosystems are also being destroyed as tress and forests are cut down to be replaced with fields of sugarcane. This decreases water quality and biodiversity as well as increasing sedimentation. Plant litter is also an undeniable environmental challenge, as it is soil after harvest, changing nitrogen dynamics, shoot emergence, soil erosion, carbon sequestration among many other devastating consequences (Martinelli & Filoso, 2008). Most deadly is perhaps the process of burning sugarcane. This is done to reduce harvesting cost and cane cutting efforts, but it dramatically increases soil temperature, soil erosion, and produces significant carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, it has been identified as a major contributor to respiratory diseases as the aerosol particles deriving from the burning of the sugar cane are positively correlated to respiratory morbidity. However, there have been important initiatives to ban this practice, otherwise known as the best management practices (Arruda, 2011). It is important to ensure the implementation of this practice. Bioethanol also has significant social impacts, as many industries have been accused for exploiting their cane cutters. Often, these labourers are migrants from the North who come to earn money. They are promised good money and working conditions but get none of this yet have no other alternative but to submit to the work that they are given. Given that sugarcanes are manually harvested the workers inhale a great deal of dust and smoke from the burn residue which has detrimental impacts on their health and respiratory system. They are underpaid and paid by the mass so work long hours to make enough money (Nevez, 2013). Given these social conditions it is not possible to claim that sugarcane bioethanol is a clean and sustainable source of energy when in the process of its production many people each year die from exhaustion.

PROSPECTS
In conclusion sugarcane bioethanol has collected many achievements, such as a large ethanol share in the transport sector, a good energy balance, and a significant reduction of greenhouse gases. However, there are persisting challenges, such as a redressing of stabilised and declining production levels. Ethanol production must be revived by decreasing costs, but also more importantly by increasing sustainability in order to reduce the impact on water availability, biodiversity and natural resources by improving agricultural production. Fortunately, there are many strategies for improvement in the sector. In their production of bioethanol, corporations must conduct proper planning and environmental risk assessment before exploiting land, by improving their use of land to reduce soil erosion and nitrogen protection and ensure the conservation of streams and riparian resources (Martinelli & Filoso, 2008). The Brazilian government must absolutely ban burning sugarcane practices. Finally fair working conditions must be ensured for all sugarcane cutters. This change will be best conducted by the input and impact of international stakeholders. Only they have enough capacity and influence to promote sustainable development of biofuel production. These corporations must promote values of sustainable development and resist against the replacement of natural ecosystems for key energy crops (Arruda, 2011). It seems that a lot of effort will be needed to expand the sugarcane industry, as changes are required in intensity production, agroeconomic practices, and production methods diversification. However, considering that an equal important challenge of sugarcane bioethanol production is to revive production, notably in 2020 sugarcane production must raise to 13.2 billion litres per year, one may question how such increased production will be possible along the lines of sustainability. Figure 1
Retrieved from: http://www.berkeleybioeconomy.com/presentation/bioethanol-in-brazil-potential-and-reality/ AppendixBibliography

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