Ceres says operations will help improve supply of ethanol in Brazil

Ceres, a U.S. biomass technology firm, predicts that its growing Brazilian operations could provide a solution to the country’s declining ethanol supplies. The company revealed it had sold approximately 3,000 hectares of sweet sorghum to Brazilian suppliers from the current harvest. During a presentation to investors, Ceres CEO Richard Hamilton said, “We believe sweet sorghum hybrids could enable mill operators to extend their current production season that is 200 days a year on average.” He added, “Mills will be able to utilize their existing land in rotation between sugarcane crops. It comes at a time when domestic Brazilian demand for ethanol is increasing and sugarcane supplies appear to be stretched thin.” Sweet sorghum is traditionally used in the production of syrup and forage for livestock feed, but now it is also turned into a biofuel through fermentation of the stalk’s juice. In India, sweet sorghum has been used as a cooking oil and lighting fuel since the late 1960s. Figures from Unica, Brazil’s sugarcane industry association, show that the country’s ethanol imports increased 14-fold in 2011. Soaring sugar prices due to poor harvest and extreme weather conditions were blamed by local suppliers for the decline in output. This has prompted the government to explore other alternative biofuels. Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned energy company said it would release US$164 million for the production of second-generation ethanol next year. The new fuel would be produced by using residues from wood, corn, sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw, and is expected to increase the country’s ethanol production by 40%. (April 13, 2012)