Favorable environmental and economic effects of corn ethanol coproducts in Brazil

Brasil es un productor tradicional de etanol combustible a partir de caña de azúcar con coproducción de azúcar. Con ese modelo, produciendo azúcar y etanol, Brasil se convirtió en el primer productor y exportador de azúcar y el segundo productor de etanol combustible. Sin embargo, este modelo ya no se puede ampliar. El etanol de maíz se está convirtiendo en la alternativa para expandir la producción de etanol combustible debido a su potencial para producir proteína que se puede utilizar para alimentar ganado de carne. Brasil utiliza casi el 20% de su territorio, cerca de 200 Mha, para producir ganado vacuno y los residuos de etanol de maíz, como el DDG[1], son el elemento clave para reducir los pastizales. Este artículo analiza esta nueva actividad económica en Brasil, así como su potencial para combinarse con políticas ambientales para reducir o incluso detener la deforestación en Brasil.Brazil is a traditional producer of fuel ethanol from sugarcane with coproduction of sugar. With this model, producing sugar and ethanol, Brazil became the first producer and exporter of sugar and the second producer of fuel ethanol. However, this model can no longer be expanded. Corn ethanol is becoming the alternative to boost fuel ethanol because of its potential to produce protein which can be used to feed beef cattle. Brazil employs nearly 20% of its territory, nearly 200 Mha, to produce beef cattle and corn ethanol coproducts such as DDG5, which are the key element to reduce pasture land. This article analyzes this new economic activity in Brazil as well as its potential to be combined with environmental policies to reduce or even stop deforestation in Brazil

CoolSys: herramienta computacional de auxilio a la poscosecha de productos hortofrutícolas

CoolSys es un programa para el cálculo y simulado de procesos de enfriamiento y almacenamiento de productos hortofrutícolas, estructurado en cuatro módulos: Módulo de Almacenamiento e Compatibilidad; Módulo de Embalajes; Módulo de Propiedades Termofísicas y Módulo de Enfriamiento. El programa fue desarrollado en ambiente MS Visual Basic v. 5.0 y registrado por el Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (Brasil), para aplicación en el área de Tecnología de Poscosecha. Ventanas de fácil acceso conteniendo informaciones de los productos y procesos, así como figuras ilustrativas, creación de tablas, gráficos y archivos de datos, permiten al usuario una buena comprensión así como la impresión de relatórios

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Innovation system in the Brazilian sugarcane agroindustry

Presented at the GLOBELICS 6th International Conference 2008 22-24 September, Mexico City, Mexico.Ethanol has been recently of great interest worldwide due to two main reasons. First, it is a viable alternative to oil products, used in light vehicles, which price has been substantially raised in the last years. In second place because ethanol is a renewable source of energy and as such, mitigates the emission of greenhouse gases. Although Brazil is losing its leadership of ethanol production for the United States, it is internationally recognized as the leading country to develop its ethanol production from biomass. Differently from the American system which relies on corn as principal raw material, Brazilian ethanol is produced from sugarcane. The Brazilian route shows up as much more competitive and much less pollution contributor than the American one. The objective of this work is to analyze the leading aspects of the Brazilian Innovation System built around the sugarcane industry. The Brazilian success in terms of sugarcane cannot be understood just as based in a natural comparative advantage, but as a result of accumulation of efforts which ended in a positive trajectory of technological learning, relying, mostly, in incremental innovations. That process had, as inflection point, the ProAlcohol Program, launched after the first oil crisis in 1973. From that Program on, the agro industry started the diffusion of innovations making possible constant increases of productivity and cost reduction on its production. The technological advance brought benefit to both the alcohol and sugar production; Brazil became the world leader sugar producer. This work is based on the approach of national systems of innovation, according to which the innovative performance of a given country, region or even a sector, cannot be learned by focusing on the efforts and performance of the companies alone. Innovation results from the interaction of players from different institutional nature. To analyze the institutional arrangements as the basis to the innovative process, this work will study the Brazilian efforts on R&D, policies and innovation strategies of main players regarding the country’s innovation system in the sugarcane sector, including sugar and ethanol mills, industrial goods suppliers, public and private research institutions and governmental agencies. Given the need to intensify the productive and technological effort to meet the new perspectives of expansion for ethanol production, important changes are to be done in the existing institutional arrangement, where the State needs to have a more active position. This need is being manifested with more clarity recently, given the possibility of launching a new ethanol program. It is also stated the need for the sugarcane sector to make a technological and productive leap, calling the attention for a bigger engagement of the public players for financing and coordinating the innovation efforts for the sector

Sistema Para Obtenção De Biocombustìvel/bio-óleo, Carvão Vegetal Em Pó, Extrato ácido E Gases Pirolìticos Por Degradação Térmica Acelerada De Biomassa

SISTEMA PARA OBTENÇÃO DE BIOCOMBUSTIVEL/BIO-OLEO, CARVÃO VEGETAL EM PÓ, EXTRATO ÁCIDO E GASES PIROU-TICOS POR DEGRADAÇÃO TÉRMICA ACELERADA DE BIOMASSA. A presente tecnologia refere-se a um sistema e processo para obtenção de biocombustívelibio-óleo, carvão vegetal em pó, extrato ácido e gases pirolíticos por Degradação Térmica Acelerada, baseada na tecnologia de leito fluidizado. Este vem somar-se às novas tecnologias para desenvolvimento e geração de energias renováveis alternativas aos combustíveis e materiais fósseis derivados do petróleo, bem como, auxiliar a preservação ambiental, com grandes vantagens.BRPI0802259 (A2)C10B47/24B01J8/20C10G9/32C10L1/02C10L3/00C10L5/00BR2008PI02259C10B47/24B01J8/20C10G9/32C10L1/02C10L3/00C10L5/0

Potential feedstock for renewable aviation fuel in Brazil

The aviation industry worldwide is committed to reduce CO2 emissions. The present goal is towards Carbon Neutral Growth (CNG) by 2020 and 50% reduction in net CO2 emissions over 2005 levels by 2050. There are not easy alternatives to liquid fuels for airplanes; therefore, biofuels are necessarily part of the solution. However, the specifications for jet biofuel rule out ethanol and biodiesel, the most common biofuels in the market. There are several routes for the production of aviation biofuel allowing the use of a wide range of biomasses. The conversion and refining technology pathways will be determinant for the choice of feedstock. At present, most jet biofuel tested in airplanes are derived from oils, but not taking into account conversion technologies, the best options to start an aviation biofuel industry in Brazil are sugarcane, eucalyptus, and soybean, of the sugar, cellulose, and oil crop groups. The main reasons are the established production chains, high yields, competitive prices, and possibility of greenhouse gases abatement. Other crops may be feasible options depending on specific regional conditions, further agronomic improvements, and cost reduction. Taking as reference the energy content of ethanol, around 30 Mha of land would be necessary to supply sugarcane to meet 50% of the present global consumption of jet fuel. This is less than the 64 Mha of land suitable for sugarcane in Brazil, mostly replacing pasture and without using environmentally sensitive areas. This area may be less as biomass yields increase and the energy of other plant parts is more efficiently used. The opportunity costs of final products derived from the biomass feedstock may place the price of the energy of jet biofuel above that of the fossil jet fuel. Appropriate public policies and tax treatment may be necessary to stimulate an emerging aviation biofuel industry.155263FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2012/50009-

The Brazilian sugarcane innovation system

Ethanol has recently been of great interest worldwide because it is a viable economic alternative to petroleum products and it is a renewable source of energy that mitigates the emission of greenhouse gases. Brazilian bioethanol from sugarcane is the most successful case at the world level because of its low cost and low level of greenhouse gas emissions. Brazil's success with sugarcane cannot be understood as based solely on a natural comparative advantage, but as a result of efforts that culminated in a positive trajectory of technological learning, relying mostly on incremental innovations. The purpose of this article is to analyze the key aspects of the innovation system built around the Brazilian sugarcane industry. It is based on the national innovation systems approach according to which innovation results from the interaction of different institutional actors. Institutional arrangements are analyzed as the basis for the innovative process, in particular R&D and the innovation policies and strategies of the main players in the sugarcane sector, including sugar and ethanol mills, industrial goods suppliers, public and private research institutions, and governmental agencies.Ethanol Innovation Renewable energy

Sugarcane ethanol and beef cattle integration in Brazil

New models for renewable energy production are needed to simultaneously decrease greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, use land more efficiently and replace large amounts of fossil fuel. Ethanol production and livestock feed integration as practiced in the United States (USA) is one model for ethanol production combined with animal feed production. Brazil, the second largest ethanol and beef cattle producer in the world, can adapt the USA model of corn ethanol and cattle integration considering its local characteristics. This paper evaluates the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of sugarcane ethanol and cattle integration, thereby avoiding pasture displacement into forests or other sensitive lands. Cattle can be fattened in feedlots using some sugarcane ethanol byproducts. Intensification of cattle production by integration with sugarcane production releases pasture area to produce more biofuels, without needing more land for cattle production. The release of pasture land to produce more sugarcane results in what we call "avoided ILUC", the resultant reduced GHG emissions compared to conventional sugarcane ethanol, because no additional land is needed to accommodate an additional sugarcane ethanol production. Simulations were performed using the Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery (VSB) model developed by the Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (CTBE). We calculated as economic parameters the internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV) and payback time. Climate impacts were assessed via Life Cycle Assessment. Sugarcane and cattle integration decreases overall climate impacts compared to non-integrated systems. Techno-economic feasibility is achieved by additional land rental revenues for released pasture area and by carbon credits120448457CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal e Nível SuperiorFAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paulonão temnão temWe are grateful to Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel - CAPES for the master scholarship to the first author; to Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory – CTBE for the use of the Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery (VSB) Facility; to Regina Margarido, Zootechnist from Vale do Rosário Mill, and to Antony Hilgrove Monti Sewell from Boviplan Consultoria Agropecuária; to Professor Galen Erickson from University of Nebraska – Lincoln and to Professor Daniel Loy from Iowa State University, USA; and finally to FAPESP for funding the technical visit to the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University. Professor Bruce Dale gratefully acknowledges support from the Michigan State University AgBioResearch office and also the USDA National Institute of Food and Agricultur

Technical and economic assessment of trash recovery in the sugarcane bioenergy production system

Mechanized sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) harvest without burning has been increasingly adopted in Brazil, increasing trash availability on the field. This study aims at showing the importance of using an integrated framework tool to assess technical and economic impacts of integral harvesting and baling trash recovery strategies and different recovery rates as well as its implications in the sugarcane production, transport and processing stages. Trash recovery using baling system presents higher costs per unit of mass of recovered trash in comparison to system in which trash is harvested and transported with sugarcane stalks (integral harvesting system). However, the integrated agricultural and industrial assessment showed that recovering trash using baling system presents better economic results (higher internal rate of return and lower ethanol production cost) than the integral harvesting system for trash recovery rates higher than 30 %. Varying trash recovery fraction, stalks productivity and mean transport distance for both integral harvesting and baling systems, sensitivity analyses showed that higher trash recovery fractions associated with higher stalks yields and long transport distances favors baling system, mainly due to the reduction of bulk load density for integral harvesting system under those conditions

Technical and economic assessment of trash recovery in the sugarcane bioenergy production system

Mechanized sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) harvest without burning has been increasingly adopted in Brazil, increasing trash availability on the field. This study aims at showing the importance of using an integrated framework tool to assess technical and economic impacts of integral harvesting and baling trash recovery strategies and different recovery rates as well as its implications in the sugarcane production, transport and processing stages. Trash recovery using baling system presents higher costs per unit of mass of recovered trash in comparison to system in which trash is harvested and transported with sugarcane stalks (integral harvesting system). However, the integrated agricultural and industrial assessment showed that recovering trash using baling system presents better economic results (higher internal rate of return and lower ethanol production cost) than the integral harvesting system for trash recovery rates higher than 30 %. Varying trash recovery fraction, stalks productivity and mean transport distance for both integral harvesting and baling systems, sensitivity analyses showed that higher trash recovery fractions associated with higher stalks yields and long transport distances favors baling system, mainly due to the reduction of bulk load density for integral harvesting system under those conditions