Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Modern society intensifies the use and consumption of natural resources despite knowing that the reserves of these resources are limited and are in the process of exhaustion. The use of biofuels on a global scale could represent contribution to international efforts to reduce environmental degradation and to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gases through eco-efficiency and reduction of consumption of resources and fossil energy per unit of product produced. Brazil has intensified efforts to commercial-scale production of second generation biofuels (ethanol) to allow the development of bio-refineries for converting biomass into biofuels. The goal is to optimize the use of biomass through the use of sustainable integrated systems according to technical parameters that take into account, inter alia, mass and energy balances, life cycle, the regional socioeconomic development, generation of jobs, consumer products and distributed form of services. The aim of this study is to evaluate through environmental, social and economic indicators, the production of ethanol from second generation from bagasse and straw from sugarcane in Brazil. The data refer to the first cellulosic ethanol plant in the southern hemisphere, located in northeastern Brazil. It will be also analyzed the production of other bio-products by the Brazilian Biorefineries and their contribution to the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the production process of second generation ethanol in Brazil. The results confirm that the second generation ethanol from bagasse and straw from sugarcane in Brazil contributes to reducing the consumption of natural resources and energy produced by ethanol unit.

Biography

Email: Antonio.juliani@yahoo.com.br