Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Monday, October 29, 2007

Brazil's Petrobras Aims To Produce Cellulosic Ethanol In Next Decade

By The Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, is aiming to make cellulosic ethanol commercially viable within the next decade, a company executive said Thursday.

"There is no industrial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol anywhere in the world today, as its production cost is higher than that of ethanol from sugarcane or corn," said Carlos Tadeu Fraga, executive manager at the company's Cenpes research center in Rio de Janeiro.

"Our objective is to reach a competitive price in the coming decade," Fraga said.

In September, Petrobras inaugurated a pilot plant to produce so-called second-generation ethanol from sugarcane bagasse, a residue from ethanol or sugar production that is widely available throughout Brazil.

MS-NBC.com, Oct. 29. 2007

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