martes, 12 de febrero de 2013


New Brazilian-Danish Partnership on 2nd Generation Bioethanol

Leading companies in bioethanol technology in Brazil and Denmark combine their competences in a new partnership, opening access to more sustainable and competitive biofuels.


ETH Bioenergia of Brazil and Inbicon of Denmark last week announced the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two parties. The parties will join forces in order to introduce 2nd generation ethanol technology into the Brazilian market.


ETH Bioenergia, a company controlled by the Odebrecht Organization, is a leading ethanol and bioelectricity producer in Brazil with nine state of the art operating mills. Inbicon, a company fully owned by DONG Energy, is a leading provider of technology for the production of 2nd generation ethanol with several years of experience on the operation of a semi-industrial scale demonstration plant in Denmark.

Brazil is a strategic market
"We have identified ETH Bioenergia as the most attractive partner for us in Brazil. They have made significant progress to capture a dominant position in the Brazilian ethanol industry. By partnering with ETH, we will jointly access the Brazilian market, a strategic market to deploy 2nd generation technology to add value to biomass," said Henrik Maimann, Vice President in DONG Energy.

Combining local expertise with Danish know-how
The cooperation program will combine ETH's industrial, market and innovation expertises with Inbicon technology and know-how to form a strong partnership to bring 2nd generation ethanol technology into the sugarcane sector. This partnership will speed up the deployment of technologies to produce ethanol and other products from lignocellulosic feedstock, such as bagasse. The aim is to introduce the new technology in facilities owned by ETH but also to offer a very competitive and integrated solution to other ethanol and sugar producers in Brazil.


Partnership adds value to biomass
According to ETH CEO, Luiz Mendonça, the joint ETH-Inbicon technology will open access to more sustainable and competitive biofuels and bio-based chemicals: “I am convinced that the combination of Inbicon's experience on the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to ethanol and other products and ETH's background on the design and operation of sugarcane mills and ethanol chemical processes will result in a new business opportunity that will add value to biomass.”


The first phase of the cooperation agreement covers among other points a joint investigation on the feasibility to produce ethanol from local sugarcane residues by utilizing the Inbicon technology integrated with existing sugarcane based ethanol production plants.

The first ETH-Inbicon facility is expected to start up in 2015 with the potential perspective to rapidly expand into the Brazilian market that will further consolidate the concept of a fully integrated Biorefinery.

Photo source: DONG Energy

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