Brazil has a prominence in the world soybean production, with around 116.996
million tons in the 2017/2018 harvest, with a 35.100 million hectares planted and a
productivity of around 3333 kg per hectare, being the state of Mato Grosso the main
producer of Brazilian soybean (EMBRAPA 2018).
Algae are another potential biomass for the production of biodiesel. In one
hectare of algae cultivation, it would be possible to produce 100 to 237 thousand
liters of oil (Defanti et al. 2010). Algae capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and
produce bio-oils and products with high-added value (Espinosa et al. 2014). Compared to biomasses such as sugarcane, corn, soybean, and sunflower, algae are the
ones with the highest productivity and photosynthetic efficiency, with 390–700 bep.
ha
-1 .year
-1 and 4–7%, respectively (Franco 2013).
Biogas is another promising biofuel, due to its potential for reducing organic
methane and carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere (BNDES 2018). This
biofuel is produced by the action of anaerobic microorganisms that decompose the
organic matter. Among the main sources of organic matter abundant in Brazil is the
waste from landfills (BNDES 2018). As an example of its potential, in 2015 Brazil
produced about 705 thousand Nm
3
Áday
-1 of biogas from the landfills biomass and
349.705 thousand Nm
3
Áday
-1 from the waste biomass from the food and beverage
industry (Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy 2017).
In addition to all biomasses described so far that are of great importance for the
Brazilian bioenergy matrix, other local biomasses are being exploited for the production of aviation biokerosene, such as Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata), a palm tree
of great occurrence in Brazil, besides Babaçu (Attalea speciosa), Buriti (Mauritia
flexuosa), and sunflower, from which oils can be extracted for biokerosene production. In Brazil, Macaúba occupies a planted area of 12 million hectares, Babaçu
occupies 18 million hectares in the Brazilian territory, and the buriti 4 million
hectares, and the sunflower 111.8 thousand hectares (UBRABIO 2017).
According to data released by the Brazilian government, biomass became the
second most abundant energy source in the country in 2016 in the Internal Energy
Offering (OIEE), with an energy generation equivalent to 54 tons of Wh, of which
67% correspond to biomass from sugarcane bagasse and straw. The survey
demonstrates how important biomass is in the country’s energy generation.
In the world, cultivars dedicated to energy production are called the energy crops.
Besides Brazil, India is the second major producer of ethanol from sugarcane energy
crops. India produced in 2017/2018 around 1.4 billion liters of ethanol (Reuters 2017).
In addition to sugarcane cultivars, elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) has
been prominent in recent years, since ethanol produced from sugarcane has not
shown significant increase in recent years (Campos 2015). Elephant grass has been
evaluated as a high productivity biomass for second-generation ethanol, and its
production per hectare can reach 150–200 tons of fresh mass (EMBRAPA 2015),
and in the next few years this potentiality can be exploited, which can make elephant
grass an important global energy crop.
Sorghum ssp. is also considered an energy crop, since it has potential to produce
second-generation (2G) ethanol. The United States produced 9.24 million tons in the
2017/2018 harvest, followed by Nigeria, with 6.55 million tons produced (CONAB
2018). When cultivated, sorghum can produce about 35 to 70 tons of stems per
2 Biofuels Generation Based on Technical Process and Biomass Quality
41
million tons in the 2017/2018 harvest, with a 35.100 million hectares planted and a
productivity of around 3333 kg per hectare, being the state of Mato Grosso the main
producer of Brazilian soybean (EMBRAPA 2018).
Algae are another potential biomass for the production of biodiesel. In one
hectare of algae cultivation, it would be possible to produce 100 to 237 thousand
liters of oil (Defanti et al. 2010). Algae capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and
produce bio-oils and products with high-added value (Espinosa et al. 2014). Compared to biomasses such as sugarcane, corn, soybean, and sunflower, algae are the
ones with the highest productivity and photosynthetic efficiency, with 390–700 bep.
ha
-1 .year
-1 and 4–7%, respectively (Franco 2013).
Biogas is another promising biofuel, due to its potential for reducing organic
methane and carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere (BNDES 2018). This
biofuel is produced by the action of anaerobic microorganisms that decompose the
organic matter. Among the main sources of organic matter abundant in Brazil is the
waste from landfills (BNDES 2018). As an example of its potential, in 2015 Brazil
produced about 705 thousand Nm
3
Áday
-1 of biogas from the landfills biomass and
349.705 thousand Nm
3
Áday
-1 from the waste biomass from the food and beverage
industry (Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy 2017).
In addition to all biomasses described so far that are of great importance for the
Brazilian bioenergy matrix, other local biomasses are being exploited for the production of aviation biokerosene, such as Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata), a palm tree
of great occurrence in Brazil, besides Babaçu (Attalea speciosa), Buriti (Mauritia
flexuosa), and sunflower, from which oils can be extracted for biokerosene production. In Brazil, Macaúba occupies a planted area of 12 million hectares, Babaçu
occupies 18 million hectares in the Brazilian territory, and the buriti 4 million
hectares, and the sunflower 111.8 thousand hectares (UBRABIO 2017).
According to data released by the Brazilian government, biomass became the
second most abundant energy source in the country in 2016 in the Internal Energy
Offering (OIEE), with an energy generation equivalent to 54 tons of Wh, of which
67% correspond to biomass from sugarcane bagasse and straw. The survey
demonstrates how important biomass is in the country’s energy generation.
In the world, cultivars dedicated to energy production are called the energy crops.
Besides Brazil, India is the second major producer of ethanol from sugarcane energy
crops. India produced in 2017/2018 around 1.4 billion liters of ethanol (Reuters 2017).
In addition to sugarcane cultivars, elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) has
been prominent in recent years, since ethanol produced from sugarcane has not
shown significant increase in recent years (Campos 2015). Elephant grass has been
evaluated as a high productivity biomass for second-generation ethanol, and its
production per hectare can reach 150–200 tons of fresh mass (EMBRAPA 2015),
and in the next few years this potentiality can be exploited, which can make elephant
grass an important global energy crop.
Sorghum ssp. is also considered an energy crop, since it has potential to produce
second-generation (2G) ethanol. The United States produced 9.24 million tons in the
2017/2018 harvest, followed by Nigeria, with 6.55 million tons produced (CONAB
2018). When cultivated, sorghum can produce about 35 to 70 tons of stems per
2 Biofuels Generation Based on Technical Process and Biomass Quality
41