Brazil is pioneering new technology to produce second-generation ethanol, dubbed 2G, as a solution to help the country meet its pledge of a 37% reduction in carbon emissions before 2025 and a 43% cut by 2030. Brazil is already the second biggest producer of ethanol from sugar cane and more than 60% of its 36 million vehicles run on ethanol or ethanol-fuel flex systems. However, sugar cane requires vast plantations, which often means cutting down carbon-dioxide absorbing forests. Second-generation ethanol is obtained from the remnants of sugar cane after sugar and standard ethanol production and therefore requires no new plantations. Located in Piracicaba, at the center of sugar country about 100 kilometers (roughly 60 miles) from Sao Paulo, "It's a revolutionary product... it will be an important step forward for Brazil," said José Carlos de Oliveira Neto, Brazil's minister of energy.
Brazil is pioneering new technology to produce second-generation ethanol, dubbed 2G, as a solution to help the country meet its pledge of a 37% reduction in carbon emissions before 2025 and a 43% cut by 2030. Brazil is already the second biggest producer of ethanol from sugar cane and more than 60% of its 36 million vehicles run on ethanol or ethanol-fuel flex systems. However, sugar cane requires vast plantations, which often means cutting down carbon-dioxide absorbing forests. Second-generation ethanol is obtained from the remnants of sugar cane after sugar and standard ethanol production and therefore requires no new plantations. "It's a revolutionary product... it will be an important step forward for Brazil," said José Carlos de Oliveira Neto, Brazil's minister of energy.