In the project ProEthanol2G European and Brazilian partners cooperate in investigating processes for the pre-treatment of biomass. In addition, they assess enzymes with regard to their performance in enzymatic hydrolysis and employ new microorganisms for the further fermentation of the hydrolyzate. The final goal is to develop a biorefinery that can process the whole (sugarcane) plant and can produce ethanol from lignocellulosic material in a cost and energy efficient way. The ethanol obtained from the process is chemically identical to the ethanol produced from sugar today. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is responsible for the overall evaluation of the sustainability impacts of possible biorefinery concepts.

Exchange through meetings

During the project meeting several Brazilian research institutes were visited and new contacts were established. The journey to Brazil included the visit of the new bioethanol laboratory of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) that addresses all relevant process steps to convert bagasse to ethanol in laboratory scale. Another part of the visit was the Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC) which mainly focuses on the improvement of sugarcane plants with respect to higher yields and resistance to pests and droughts. The tour also included visits of the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia (INT), to the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and a visit of the Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (CTBE).

Apart from that the exchange and cooperation between Brazilian and European partners is promoted by research periods at foreign institutions. Last year, Fraunhofer UMSICHT welcomed a research assistant from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Further exchange activities are planned.

The project ProEthanol2G is funded by the European Commission for the European partners and by the Brazilian government for the Brazilian site. The project ideas are scheduled to be put into practice by the end of 2014.