AgriSustainability Matters - Issue 17

Ambassador’s word

In the global pursuit of carbon neutrality, all countries are urged to take decisive action by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Brazil stands out as a pioneer in this energy transition: nearly half of its energy matrix comes from renewables; more than 90% in the case of electricity. Further progress will therefore require efforts on other fronts.

This edition of AgriSustainability Matters explores how tropical agriculture can enhance its contribution to reducing emissions from the energy sector. Since
the 1970s, biofuels have been a sustainable alternative to petrol in Brazil, with sugarcane bioethanol serving as a key player. Whether used pure or blended
with petrol, bioethanol significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared to gasoline. In 2023, bioethanol reached a share of 41.3% in the Brazilian transport matrix, accounting for 16.9% of the total energy matrix.

Guilherme Nolasco, the executive chairman of the Brazilian Maize Ethanol Association, offers compelling reasons for optimism regarding biofuel production and usage. Brazil’s tropical agriculture allows for two crops a year, and maize is a notably versatile plant that can be cultivated as a second crop. As the author explains in detail, bioethanol production not only ensures a stable biofuel supply, but also provides inputs for animal feed, boosting livestock productivity and sustainability.

Agriculture, particularly biofuel production, presents a significant opportunity to advance the energy transition. As Nolasco’s article clearly demonstrates, Brazil is seizing this opportunity.

Now as ever, AgriSustainability Matters.

Enjoy the reading.

Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom

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AgriSustainablity Matters #17

Bioethanol synergy: complementing food production with biofuels

Guilherme Nolasco
Executive chairman of the Brazilian Maize Ethanol Association

We are in a race against time to achieve energy and food security through integrated production systems that promote socioeconomic development in a sustainable manner. We need solutions to meet the growing demand for food and energy resources amongst the global population, which is expected to surpass 10 billion people in the next 25 years. Furthermore, new consumer markets are expected to emerge, mainly in Asia, due to improvements in per capita income in developing countries.

Energy consumption is by far the largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for no less than three-quarters of all global emissions. Brazil already has one of the cleanest energy profiles in the world, with renewable sources making up 47% of the total. This is equivalent to three times the world average and more than four times the OECD average. In electricity alone, renewable sources represent 93% of total energy production. In this context, Brazil's most significant contributions to the energy transition and the reduction of global emissions will come from tropical agriculture, notably through biofuel production.

Some of the externalities of tropical agriculture turn opportunities into responsibilities. Brazil has preserved biodiversity (66% of its territory, equivalent to 23 times that of the United Kingdom, is covered by native vegetation) and has a high capacity for incorporating technologies to increase primary goods production. The challenge is to conserve environmental assets while also meeting food, fibre and energy demands. Although it may seem unintuitive, environmental conservation and agriculture not only can coexist, but are inextricably linked.

Food production and inputs for renewable energy generation are dependent on technological investments, irrigation, and soil management, as well as favourable climatic conditions. As a result, it is critical to use low-impact production techniques that protect natural resources and soil fertility. In the Brazilian Cerrado, due to favourable climatic conditions, research and the use of technology, it is possible to harvest a crop whilst planting another, that is to say, without having to remove organic residues from the soil, which become natural inputs for the next crop. The use of these techniques allows for the preservation of soil characteristics whilst also reducing the incidence of diseases and pests; furthermore, it also increases crop productivity and enables the growth of different products – such as food, bioenergy and vegetable fibres – within the same harvest year.

Soya is sown between September and December each year and harvested between January and March. During the soya harvest, maize is sown as a second crop and harvested from May onwards in Brazil’s Centre-West and other micro-regions. This second crop, also known as safrinha, currently supplies around 80% of the maize harvested in the country. It is worth mentioning that only 60% of the land where soya is grown is used for maize production as a second crop, which suggests that there is great potential to further expand land use for second crops.

Brazil primarily produces bioethanol from the maize grown during this second productive season of the year. Biorefineries dedicated to maize bioethanol are relatively new in the country, having begun operations less than a decade ago. Nevertheless, they are proving to be revolutionary in both the countryside and the city.

With vertically integrated production, large exportable surpluses of maize – often from regions with low internal consumption, inadequate logistics and storage infrastructure – are now converted into biofuel, animal feed, and bioenergy. This activity contributes to sustainable development in several ways: it enhances predictability for producers, attracts investment to the country, adds value to production, creates jobs and increases the availability of renewable energy globally.

Graph 1

In a short time, maize bioethanol has come to account for 20% of the national market, providing greater stability in the supply of fuel to consumers. This stability is especially important in Brazil, where the law requires that petrol contain 27% of ethanol, making the fuel significantly more sustainable and less polluting.

In addition to producing biofuel for urban mobility, the biorefineries also produce dried distillers grains (DDG/DDGS), which are the nutrient rich co-product of dry-milled ethanol production. This protein-rich bran is used for animal feed, including for cattle, pigs, poultry, fish and pets.

Cattle farming in Brazil has seen DDG/DDGS become an important input for intensifying production. This highly nutritious food shortens the time needed to rear animals, resulting in a significant decline in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with cattle farming. Moreover, the amount of pastureland needed to rear cattle can be reduced by using supplementation with DDG/DDGS. As a result, fewer natural resources – land, water and food – are needed in the production of increasingly younger animals.

Graph 2

Over the past three years, Brazil has begun to export surplus DDG/DDGS to other countries, where they are mainly used in poultry and pig feed. Distillers grains are valued for their high energy and protein content, as well as good digestibility for animals.

This promising sector, which combines food production, biofuels and electrical energy from biomass, has even more potential. Tests for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from ethanol are already underway. Biofuel is also set to enter ‘the seven seas’, as a source of renewable energy for maritime navigation. Both the airline and maritime sectors have ambitious decarbonisation targets. Furthermore, researchers are already producing green hydrogen from the ethanol molecule. At the University of São Paulo (USP), one of the most important research centres in Latin America, researchers are testing bioethanol-derived green hydrogen in public transport.

Maize bioethanol plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change, due to its low carbon footprint. When produced in Brazil, it emits up to 85% fewer greenhouse gases than petrol. In addition to being less polluting, using its biomass as an energy source replaces fossil fuels.

In this context, maize bioethanol represents a concrete, viable and safe alternative for the energy transition. It has immense potential in mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. It also promotes regional development and boosts food production. It is worth remembering that production occurs on established croplands and in low-productivity pasturelands, without the need to clear forested areas.

The global economy is being revolutionised, driven by the need to mitigate global warming. In the case of Brazil, which already has a largely renewable energy matrix, the biggest contribution will come from the countryside. Maize-based food and bioenergy production stands out as an important part of the solution, offering a sustainable alternative to oil and supporting environmental preservation.

About the author

Guilherme Nolasco is the executive chairman of the Brazilian Maize Ethanol Association (UNEM, in the Portuguese acronym). He is a veterinary doctor specialising in rural administration, working extensively in defence of agribusiness in both the public and private sectors. He began his career in the 1990s and has held various positions in the Mato Grosso Chamber of Agricultural Policy. He has been chairman of the Mato Grosso Agricultural Defence Institute (INDEA-MT), deputy chairman of the Brazilian Forum of Agricultural Health Executors (FONESA) and chairman of the Mato Grosso Meat Institute (IMAC). Since 2020, he has been the executive-chairman of UNEM, where he has been working to consolidate the biofuels sector through promoting research, supporting public policies and institutional representation in government and the private sector. Nolasco currently coordinates the Bioenergy Commission at Instituto Pensar Agro.

As in all articles in the AgriSustainability Matters bulletin, the views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or the position of the Embassy of Brazil

To download AgriSustainability Matters - Issue 17 in pdf format, please click here.