Synergy in food, fuels and materials production from biomass

Abstract

Sugar cane was introduced in Brazil for sugar production but it was later developed as a major source of fuel ethanol, chemicals, materials and electricity. While food sugar continues to be the leading income source for plantations, synergy between food, fuel and materials production is possible as opposed to simple arithmetic reasoning that exacerbates the conflict in land use for different kinds of products. Cane plantations now occupy a small fraction of agricultural land in Brazil and the recent zoning laws allow a manifold expansion but only on currently under-used pasture land, while prohibiting expansion in any area covered by native vegetation, rain forests, flood plains and central savannas. The same positive results obtained in Brazil can be extended to many other countries in the world and to many other plants, like the eucalyptus, currently used in Brazil to make charcoal for smelting. The large emissions of waste carbon compounds from this process could be converted into valuable by-products for chemicals and energy production. Other synergies are described and new possibilities for land use and agriculture products are discussed, considering also environmental issues.