Ethanol Production In Brazil Research Articles

Modeling approaches for agricultural N2O fluxes from large scale areas: A case for sugarcane crops in the state of São Paulo - Brazil

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change are issues that currently receive a great deal of attention, both from society and the scientific community. Combustion of fossil fuels is considered the main reason for the increasing concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere and therefore, the main cause of climate change. In such context, biofuels are usually presented as an energy source that considerably reduces GHG emissions when compared to the use of fossil fuels. However, some issues of biofuel production such as the emissions associated with both change in land use and the use of nitrogen fertilizers are still under scrutiny. The focus of this study is related to N2O soil emissions associated with sugarcane ethanol production in Brazil. Signatory countries of the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are required to prepare and periodically update an inventory of GHG emissions and sinks. The International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), through the Agriculture, Forest and Other Land Use (AFOLU), establishes guidelines to calculate N2O soil emissions on three different levels, or tiers. The simplest Tier 1 uses few equations and default emissions factors. The most elaborated, Tier 3, uses computation modeling, field measurements and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This study proposes using the limited data available, procedures for Tier 3 estimates of N2O soil emissions in sugarcane crops in the state of São Paulo - Brazil. It also compares N2O sugarcane emissions calculated by Tier 1 and Tier 3 methods. Results show that in most cases the difference in results from Tier 1 and Tier 3 methods are beyond the error margin of the Brazilian Inventory.

BECCS potential in Brazil: Achieving negative emissions in ethanol and electricity production based on sugar cane bagasse and other residues

Stabilization at concentrations consistent with keeping global warming below 2°C above the pre-industrial level will require drastic cuts in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions during the first half of the century; net negative emissions approaching 2100 are required in the vast majority of current emission scenarios. For negative emissions, the focus has been on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), where carbon-neutral bioenergy would be combined with additional carbon capture thus yielding emissions lower than zero. Different BECCS technologies are considered around the world and one option that deserves special attention applies CCS to ethanol production. It is currently possible to eliminate 27.7milliontonnes (Mt) of CO2 emissions per year through capture and storage of CO2 released during fermentation, which is part of sugar cane-based ethanol production in Brazil. Thus, BECCS could reduce the country’s emissions from energy production by roughly 5%. Such emissions are additional to those due to the substitution of biomass-based electricity for fossil-fueled power plants. This paper assesses the potential and cost effectiveness of negative emissions in the joint production system of ethanol and electricity based on sugar cane, bagasse, and other residues in Brazil. An important benefit is that CO2 can be captured twice along the proposed BECCS supply chain (once during fermentation and once during electricity generation). This study only considers BECCS from fermentation because capturing such CO2 is straightforward, thus potentially representing a cost-effective mitigation option for Brazil compared to other alternatives. The assessment shows that fuel prices would increase by less than 3.5% due to the adoption of BECCS from fermentation, while increasing investors’ revenues are sufficient to compensate for the investment required. With appropriate government subsidies, or by sharing BECCS costs between all car fuels and all electricity supplied by hydro and bioelectricity, the increment in ethanol and electricity prices could be less than 1% for the final consumer. Meanwhile it would supply 77.3% of all cars’ fuel (private cars) and 17.9% of all electricity in Brazil.

Sugarcane land use and water resources assessment in the expansion area in Brazil

Given that sustainability of Brazilian ethanol is intrinsically associated with the effects of sugarcane expansion on land use changes, this paper aims to assess sugarcane land use using data such as sugarcane yield, water requirements, land expansion and production costs under rainfed and irrigated management. The Paranaíba basin was selected as a case study because of recent large scale expansion of sugarcane. Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) methodology was used to identify sugarcane dynamics during four crop seasons. Crop water requirements, through the water footprint methodology, cane yield, and production costs were estimated by combining the Agroecological Zone Model and CanaSoft. Results show that most sugarcane was spatially distributed in the central area of the basin, with less potential for yield gain through irrigation. This region has significant water availability issues. A 54% increase in sugarcane area (617,000–947,000 ha) was identified, mostly from the central region to the west, and to a lesser extent to the southeast. Both expansion areas represent improved edaphoclimatic (soil and climatic) conditions, hence, higher yields, lower water footprint, and lower production costs under rainfed and irrigated managements. Furthermore, there are less subbasins with water quantity problems and almost none with water quality or both quantity and quality concerns, which suggests greater possibilities for accessing water for irrigation; however, there is an environmental cost associated with this practice on average, 13 m3 Mg−1 (Mega gram, 106 g) of blue water footprint. In the context of this highly water-intensive crop, sugarcane expansion in the Paranaíba basin in areas of improved soil and climatic conditions enhances the sustainability of ethanol production in Brazil.

Supply chain optimization of sugarcane first generation and eucalyptus second generation ethanol production in Brazil

The expansion of the ethanol industry in Brazil faces two important challenges: to reduce total ethanol production costs and to limit the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity of the ethanol produced. The objective of this study is to economically optimize the scale and location of ethanol production plants given the expected expansion of biomass supply regions. A linear optimization model is utilized to determine the optimal location and scale of sugarcane and eucalyptus industrial processing plants given the projected spatial distribution of the expansion of biomass production in the state of Goiás between 2012 and 2030. Three expansion approaches evaluated the impact on ethanol production costs of expanding an existing industry in one time step (one-step), or multiple time steps (multi-step), or constructing a newly emerging ethanol industry in Goiás (greenfield). In addition, the GHG emission intensity of the optimized ethanol supply chains are calculated. Under the three expansion approaches, the total ethanol production costs of sugarcane ethanol decrease from 894US$/m3 ethanol in 2015 to 752, 715, and 710US$/m3 ethanol in 2030 for the multi-step, one step and greenfield expansion respectively. For eucalyptus, ethanol production costs decrease from 635US$/m3 in 2015 to 560 and 543US$/m3 in 2030 for the multi-step and one-step approach. A general trend is the use of large scale industrial processing plants, especially towards 2030 due to increased biomass supply. We conclude that a system-wide optimization as a marginal impact on overall production costs. Utilizing all the predefined sugarcane and eucalyptus supply regions up to 2030, the results showed that on average the GHG emission intensity of sugarcane cultivation and processing is −80kg CO2/m3, while eucalyptus GHG emission intensity is 1290kg CO2/m3. This is due to the high proportion of forest land that is expected to be converted to eucalyptus plantations. Future optimization studies may address further economic or GHG emission improvement potential by optimizing the GHG emission intensity or perform a multi-objective optimization procedure.

Drying and storage of corn grains for ethanol production in Brazil

The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effects of drying air temperature and storage conditions used in Brazil on the quality of corn grains ( Zea mays L.) for ethanol production. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design in a (3x2x2) factorial arrangement (drying air temperatures of 80, 100 and 120 oC vs. ambient storage conditions of 23 oC / 60% RH and cooled to 10 oC / 40% RH vs. storage time of zero and six months). The corn grains were harvested with a water content of 18.0% (w.b.). Then, they were dried in a convection/forced-air oven at different temperatures, until water content reached 12% (w.b.). After that, the grains were stored. It was concluded that the increase in drying air temperature reduced lipid content and starch percentage, decreasing ethanol yield to 38.74 L ton -1 of grains. Storage under refrigeration at 10 °C was favorable for the maintenance of lipid levels (+2%), starch percentage (6%) and ethanol yield (33 L ton -1 of grains). Thus, considering production conditions and weather in Brazil, grains should be dried at air temperatures up to 80 °C, and storage must be performed under refrigerated air up to 10 °C for quality assurance of maize grains in the dry season and, therefore, increased ethanol production in the industry.

Quantification of biodiesel in petroleum diesel by 1H NMR: Evaluation of univariate and multivariate approaches

The commercially available biodiesel in Brazil is a mixture formed by two different raw materials: oleaginous plants and animal fats. Methanol is the alcohol commonly used in the transesterification of triglycerides, however, due to high ethanol production in Brazil, it can be used by manufacturers, producing a complex commercial blend. In this paper, the biodiesel content in diesel was evaluated using the hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) technique associated with univariate and multivariate calibrations. Two univariate models were evaluated. The first one used the ratio of area of the signals of olefins to aliphatics, and the second used the ratio of the area of the signals of the methyl group from the ester to the aliphatics. The multivariate model was constructed using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The results show that using the area of the signals related to the olefins method presented an accuracy similar to the PLS model. However, the multivariate method has a better analytical sensitivity and lower limits of detection and quantification. Using only part of the 1H NMR spectrum to construct the model can be less efficient than using a broader set of information encompassing the full spectrum.

Propriedades mecânicas de compósitos de poliestireno reforçado com celulose de bagaço de cana

The EPS (expanded polystyrene) is a polymer resulting from the polymerization of styrene in water and is greatly used in package manufacturing. Because of that, the entire world produced a large quantity of these residues. Meanwhile, another important agro residue is the sugarcane bagasse, because of the massive sugar and ethanol production in Brazil. Thereby, this work will propose an application of these residues, combining its properties in a single product, a composite. The pulping process in a strongly alkaline medium (NaOH) extracted the cellulosic fibers from sugarcane bagasse, resulting in cellulose fibers with residual lignin. Fibers (10 and 20% by weight) and PS were mixed by extrusion in a single-screw extruder, followed by double-screw, and then injection molding. The natural fiber composites was evaluated by tensile, flexural and hardness mechanical properties. The surface of fractured composites was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result, the addition of 20 % wt of fibers to polystyrene improves the flexural, tensile and hardness properties in respect to recycled PS. This result indicates best stress transference of fibers to matrix due to the interface interaction promoted by residual lignin, which actuates as coupling agent.

Sugarcane expansion in Brazilian tropical soils—Effects of land use change on soil chemical attributes

Land use change (LUC) in Brazil for sugarcane ethanol production has raised concerns about its potential environmental impacts. Soil quality is a key indicator to infer about the environmental sustainability of Brazilian ethanol production. Our objective was to quantify the effects of the most common LUC sequence associated with sugarcane expansion (i.e., native vegetation to pasture to sugarcane) on chemical attributes in tropical soils. Soil sampling was carried out in three study sites located in central-southern Brazil, primary sugarcane region of production and expansion of the world. Overall, long-term conversions from natural ecosystems to extensive pasturelands decreases available P, S, Ca, Mg and B contents. In addition, the LUC leads to soil acidification and decreases of CECpH7, indicating that pasturelands have poor soil chemical quality. The LUC from pasture to sugarcane increases soil nutrient levels and reduces the soil acidity due to inputs of lime and fertilizers. Despite that, increments of available P and base saturation are necessary to achieve ideal soil chemical conditions to sugarcane growth. Overall, our findings suggest that sugarcane expansion in Brazil replacing pasturelands will promotes improvements on soil chemical quality. Nevertheless, sugarcane expansion can be associated with management strategies to increase soil organic matter and improve the soil fertility, reducing the environmental and economic costs associated with ethanol production in Brazil.

Economic feasibility of sugar and ethanol production in Brazil under alternative future prices outlook

Brazil has a key role in the global market for sugar and ethanol, but its future role depends on the industry's financial viability, which has been affected by low and variable prices, credit shortages, and policies that affect price of substitutes like gasoline. Our objective was to assess the financial viability of Brazil's sugar and ethanol industries under alternative future price outlooks for the 10-year period through 2022. A Monte Carlo simulation model was developed in order to evaluate the economic performance of a representative sugar mill in São Paulo State, Brazil. The economic feasibility study was conducted using four different price scenarios forecasted by FAPRI-ISU, OECD-FAO, USDA and World Bank. The model starts each year with a stochastic annual sugarcane yield and area harvested. Monthly production is simulated for white sugar, very high polarization (VHP) sugar, anhydrous and hydrated ethanol based on stochastic monthly sugar cane production. In the next section, the cost section, total costs are simulated for cane production and processing into products, and are used with simulated revenues to calculate net cash income, annual cash flows, balance sheet components and profitability measured in terms of net present value (NPV) and rate of return on equity (ROE). The results showed a high probability of success for a sugar mill if the OECD-FAO, USDA and World Bank price forecasts were to prevail. Under these price forecasts the NPV and ROE show a zero probability of values less than zero. The FAPRI price scenario presented a small probability of negatives values for NPV and ROE, and indicated the largest relative risk for these two variables. These results help to better understand the outlook for the Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry over the next 10years. The Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry will continue to experience a high degree of risk and uncertainty from production, macroeconomic variables, demand, costs of production and market price. As a result, the industry will likely see considerable risk in rates of return, net cash income, and ending cash; however, there is a high probability that the industry will be profitable.

Increasing efficiency in ethanol production: Water footprint and economic productivity of sugarcane ethanol under nine different water regimes in north-eastern Brazil

Ethanol production in Brazil has grown by 219% between 2001 and 2012, increasing the use of land and water resources. In the semi-arid north-eastern Brazil, irrigation is the main way for improving sugarcane production. This study aimed at quantifying water consumed in ethanol production from sugarcane in this region using the water footprint (WF) indicator and complementing it with an evaluation of the water apparent productivity (WAP). This way we were able to provide a measure of the crop´s physical and economic water productivity using, respectively, the WF and WAP concepts. We studied sugarcane cultivation under nine different water regimes, including rainfed and full irrigation. Data from a mill of the state of Alagoas for three production seasons were used. Irrigation influenced sugarcane yield increasing total profit per hectare and economic water productivity. Full irrigation showed the lowest WF, 1229 litres of water per litre of ethanol (L/L), whereas rainfed production showed the highest WF, 1646 L/L. However, the lower WF in full irrigation as compared to the rest of the water regimes implied the use of higher volumes of blue water per cultivated hectare. Lower water regimes yielded the lowest economic productivity, 0.72 US$/m3 for rainfed production as compared to 1.11 US$/m3 for full irrigation. Since economic revenues are increased with higher water regimes, there are incentives for the development of these higher water regimes. This will lead to higher general crop water and economic productivity at field level, as green water is replaced by blue water consumption.

Economic Analysis of Supplementing Sugarcane with Corn for Ethanol Production in Brazil: A Case Study in Uberaba

This study evaluates the economic viability of using corn to supplement sugarcane for ethanol production in Brazil. Volatility of input and output prices and their correlation due to the transmission of shocks across markets is considered in calculations of Net Present Value. Investment in a flexible mill (i.e. a mill that can process corn during the sugarcane off-season) is dominated by investment in a standard mill based on a second order stochastic dominance criterion. The latter suggests that risk-neutral and risk-averse investors may refrain from investing in a flexible plant. Downside risk associated with a flexible plant may be worsen by the US ethanol blend wall as this weakens the correlation between the price of corn and the price of inputs and outputs of the sugar complex. Reductions in capital import tariffs can offset this effect.

Green supply chain management and environmental performance of firms in the bioenergy sector in Brazil: An exploratory survey

To achieve sustainable development, supply chains must become greener. In this context, the importance of green supply chain management (GSCM) increases because it can contribute to improving firms’ environmental performance (EP). However, little is known about these subjects in the context of firms in the bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production in Brazil). Thus, the objective of this work is to present the results of a survey conducted on 80 micro-, small-, and medium-sized firms that are suppliers in the Brazilian bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production). These results indicate that GSCM practices strengthen the EP of firms in the sector. Therefore, this article contributes to the existing literature because it addresses the relationship between GSCM and EP in an understudied sector (sugarcane and ethanol production).

Use of Environmental and Thermodynamic Indicators to Assess the Performance of an Integrated Process for Ethanol Production

Corn is one of the possibilities for diversification of Brazilian ethanol production. Four scenarios of analysis were established. The environmental dimension was evaluated by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, whereas the Thermodynamic performance was verified by applying the techniques of Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and Cumulative Exergy Demand (CExD). The production of ethanol from corn using wood chips for energy supply of the plant resulted in a homogeneous environmental performance. Factors such direct seeding – and the LHV of the wood for energy support this result. For both Thermodynamic analysis the production of sugarcane ethanol had better indexes because the use of bagasse replaced other sources of primary energy. This result remained for a combined analysis between the two dimensions, which related environmental effects in terms of Climate Change with the aggregation of primary energy consumption for ideal systems.

Effects of Different Coagulants on Sweet Sorghum Juice Clarification

Sweet sorghum is a potential complementary crop for ethanol production in Brazil, United States and India. Since, phenols are playing inhibitory role in the process of ethanol production from extracted juice from sweet sorghum stalks, it's removal from juice is necessary for better ethanol yield. The aim of this research was to evaluate the use of magnesium oxide and calcium hydroxide as coagulant agents in different pH levels in the juice treatment. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot statistical design. Main treatments corresponded to the different coagulants and secondary treatments were the pH levels (6.0 and 7.0). Analysis of coagulant volume, juice pH, settling rate and sludge volume were performed during the decantation process. Clarified juice was analyzed as Brix, pH, ashes, phenolic compounds and starch. The use of magnesium oxide resulted in lower sludge volume, phenolic compounds and ashes. The use of calcium hydroxide decreased starch content, whereas clarification at pH 7.0 promoted higher sludge volume. Treating juice with magnesium oxide improved decantation dynamics of the process and clarified juice quality.

Experimental biofuel governance: Historicizing social certification in Brazilian ethanol production

Amid debates questioning the social sustainability of ethanol, Brazilian industrialists sought an exportable social verification that could accompany sugarcane ethanol technology transfers to global South countries. Despite an effective national anti-slave labor pact and marketing campaigns promoting the sustainability of ethanol, in 2008, members of the federal government orchestrated a series of meetings between representatives from the state, sugarcane industry, and national labor organizations to discuss labor practices. They created “The National Commitment to Labor Conditions in Sugarcane Activity,” a voluntary certification program that they hoped would attest to fair working conditions on plantations and provide acknowledgment for participating businesses. After reports revealed gross violations of labor practices on complying plantations, the certificate was abandoned in 2013.In this paper, I trace the conditions that enabled this certificate to emerge and then fail as a state-sanctioned instrument for governing social justice in the Brazilian ethanol industry. I contend that understanding the emergence of neoliberal governance schemes requires analysis of the historical relationships that intersect with new geopolitical formations. In this case, the state engaged in an experimental form of governance in attempts to export a social certificate alongside technology transfers. This led to the conversion of rights into privileges with no official means for punishing non-complying companies, causing the certificate to lack efficacy and fail. I argue this by connecting the intersecting histories of labor unions, the ethanol industry, and the state to the contemporary factors that led to the need for a mechanism to attest to social sustainability.

Relations of the Regional Cane Agroindustry with the National Economy: Analysis Applied to the Center-South and North-Northeast

Cane, sugar and ethanol production in Brazil has been divided between two major production regions, the Centre-South (CS) and the North-Northeast (NNE), which present very different productivity, and henceforth production costs. The CS average productivity is more than 72 tonnes of cane per hectare, while average productivity in the NNE is 49 tonnes per hectare. The objective of the study was to establish interrelations between the cane agro-industry and other regional sectors and with the overall Brazilian economy. This framework was used to compare a demand impact upon regional cane production upon the regional and the overall Brazilian economy. An interregional input–output matrix was used to characterize how regional demand impacts on both regional and overall Brazilian economies. Rasmussen–Hirschman indexes, together with a pure linkage index were used for the analysis. In addition, production multipliers, with and without considering endogenous family consumption were estimated. The results showed t...

Product diversification to enhance economic viability of second generation ethanol production in Brazil: The case of the sugar and ethanol joint production

Commercial simulator Aspen Plus® was used to simulate the conventional processes of the autonomous distillery producing ethanol and the joint production of sugar and ethanol. Changes in conventional processes were evaluated to increase electricity and second generation ethanol production using bagasse fine fraction composed by parenchyma cells (P-fraction). The evaluated processes were thermal and water integrated. The results indicated that the integration of the second generation process to the conventional processes was possible after thermal and water integration. The economic analysis showed that the second generation process integrated to the joint production presented lower payback time, 2.3 years, in comparison with this process integrated to the autonomous distillery, 4.7 years. Due to the high enzyme costs, the cases without second generation ethanol production presented higher economic viability. Product diversification, as sugar and ethanol production in the same site, lowered the impact of enzymes cost on the payback time of second generation process, showing that the integration of the second generation ethanol production process to the conventional sugar production process could be a step to cellulosic ethanol production feasibility in sugarcane mills.

Analysis of the Viability of Ethanol Production in Brazil: Economical, Social & Environmental Implications

The global dependency on fossil fuels as energy sources has encouraged many countries to look for different renewable alternatives. Some have come to consider biofuel production as the ‘solution’ to the oil dependency. The leaders of ethanol production in the world are the United States and Brazil. This paper will focus on ethanol production in Brazil, outlining its development through Brazil’s history as well as the advantages and the negative impacts of such a market. The importance of this energy source in Brazil’s economy and the possible future outcomes of Brazil’s biofuel dependency will be discussed. Three different aspects of primary impacts will be highlighted: economic, environmental and social. The effects of the new advancements in emerging biofuels will be discussed as they pertain to the current market for first-generation biofuels. An analysis of the economic impacts of ethanol will concentrate on the influence of the American ethanol market and its policies on Brazil. The environmental impacts of land use change, with a focus on soil, water and biodiversity, will also be reviewed. Likewise, the social impacts associated with food security, sugarcane workers and indigenous peoples’ rights will be discussed. An overall view of the repercussions of biofuel production will be presented and questions regarding the viability of the biofuel market in Brazil will be addressed.

Solving ethanol production problems with genetically modified yeast strains

The current world demand for bioethanol is increasing as a consequence of low fossil fuel availability and a growing number of ethanol/gasoline flex-fuel cars. In addition, countries in several parts of the world have agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the use of ethanol as a fuel (which produces fewer pollutants than petroleum products) has been considered to be a good alternative to petroleum products. The ethanol that is produced in Brazil from the first-generation process is optimized and can be accomplished at low cost. However, because of the large volume of ethanol that is produced and traded each year, any small improvement in the process could represent a savings of billions dollars. Several Brazilian research programs are investing in sugarcane improvement, but little attention has been given to the improvement of yeast strains that participate in the first-generation process at present. The Brazilian ethanol production process uses sugarcane as a carbon source for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is then grown at a high cellular density and high temperatures in large-capacity open tanks with cells recycle. All of these culture conditions compel the yeast to cope with several types of stress. Among the main stressors are high temperatures and high ethanol concentrations inside the fermentation tanks during alcohol production. Moreover, the competition between the desired yeast strains, which are inoculated at the beginning of the process, with contaminants such as wild type yeasts and bacteria, requires acid treatment to successfully recycle the cells. This review is focused on describing the problems and stressors within the Brazilian ethanol production system. It also highlights some genetic modifications that can help to circumvent these difficulties in yeast.

Trends in global warming and human health impacts related to Brazilian sugarcane ethanol production considering black carbon emissions

Sugarcane produced in Brazil has several environmental advantages. However, burning residues, which leads to GHG and black carbon (BC) emissions, has been used to facilitate manual harvest. BC emissions have a net warming effect and cause health problems. Mechanized harvest without burning is gradually replacing manually harvested burned sugarcane. Global warming potential (GWP) and human health indicators of sugarcane ethanol production in Brazil, in the pre-mechanization (100% burned), current (∼50% burned) and future (100% without burning) scenarios, were calculated. In the past, the GWP of ethanol production was 1.1kgCO2eqL−1 and BC emissions were 32.6kgCO2eqL−1. The human health impact in disability adjusted life years (DALY) was 3.16E−05DALYL−1 ethanol. The current ethanol production process has a GWP 46% smaller, while BC emissions are seven times smaller than before mechanization started. The human health impact is currently 7.72E−06DALYL−1. In the future, with complete mechanization and the integration of first and second generation ethanol, the expected GWP emissions will be 70% smaller, and BC emissions will be 216 times smaller than when all sugarcane was harvested with burning. These results show that ethanol production in Brazil is improving in terms of global warming and human health aspects. Other upstream aspects of ethanol production such as direct and indirect land use change, and downstream impacts such as the emissions of acetaldehydes were not considered in this study, which focused on a major technological shift in residue management in the agricultural phase of sugarcane ethanol production. A broader assessment of the sustainability of ethanol must account for those issues, as well as economic and social aspects. Sugarcane-derived ethanol produced in Brazil has been considered one of the most sustainable biofuels options, but it is essential to identify and promote practices and policies that further improve its production, such as the phase out of pre-harvest sugarcane burning and the increase in ethanol yield per unit of area.