New Video Details Low-Carbon Solutions from Sugarcane

SAO PAULO, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An old solution to modern challenges is the subject of a video that made its debut at a major event focused on renewable energies, held a week ago in Brazil. The video, produced by the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), details the benefits of using sugarcane-based energy solutions to cut CO2 emissions, achieve energy diversity and promote sustainable economic growth - things Brazil, the world's largest sugarcane producer, has been doing for nearly four decades.

"Imagine a Future with Sugarcane" is an animated video first shown at the 2011 Ethanol Summit, organized by UNICA in Sao Paulo on June 6 and 7. More than 1,200 Summit participants from around the world and thousands on the internet watched it as part of the launch of SugarCane.org, a new website introduced by UNICA to spread the word about clean solutions from sugarcane.

"With global energy needs doubling in the next three decades, the search for low-carbon solutions has become vital. Sugarcane is the basic input for a diverse and expanding range of value-added products that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming," said UNICA's President and CEO, Marcos Jank. Sugarcane use dates back to 1532 in Brazil, making it the country's first documented economic activity.

The video explains that as sugarcane grows, it stores energy by producing sucrose, a high-energy sweetener, and cellulose, the plant matter in leaves and straw. Some of that energy becomes sugar, but innovation is unlocking an expanding range of new uses and products, including ethanol, which cuts greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to gasoline. Brazil has been a large-scale sugarcane ethanol producer and user since the mid-1970s.

Other uses developed in recent years and poised to expand rapidly are bioelectricity, bioplastics and bio-hydrocarbons like jet fuel, diesel, gasoline and fine chemicals.

"Imagine needing only soil, sunshine and water to create a clean power plant that can replace gasoline, diesel, plastics and much more. Solutions from sugarcane are expanding in leaps and bounds and moving well beyond Brazil's borders to help with global energy needs and climate change. We hope our new video will help make it clear that the dream of creating a healthier, cleaner planet is achievable," he stressed. 

To view "Imagine a Future with Sugarcane," please visit SugarCane.org.

ABOUT UNICA

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region, especially the state of Sao Paulo, which accounts for about 60% of the country's sugarcane harvest and of total ethanol production. UNICA develops position papers, statistics and specific research in support of Brazil's sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity sectors. In 2010, Brazil produced an estimated 620 million metric tonnes of sugarcane, which yielded 38.1 million tonnes of sugar and 27.4 billion litres of ethanol, making it the number-one sugarcane grower and sugar producer in the world, and the second-largest ethanol producer on the planet, behind the United States.

SOURCE Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA)