Ireland is “serious” about working with Brazil to decarbonise the Irish economy and society, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney has said.
Brazil and Ireland share a close economic relationship which provides a “good foundation” to build strong research and innovation connections in relation to bioenergy, the minister said.
Bioenergy can be defined as any form of energy – solid, liquid or gaseous – that is derived from either plant or animal material, according to the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA).
Bioenergy plays a “fundamental role” in decarbonising the world economy and speeding up the global energy transition by providing a renewable source of energy, IrBEA said.
Ireland and Brazil
Bioenergy solutions will be “essential” to decarbonise a range of processes and industry in Ireland, whether it is in the form of solid biomass, biogas or biomethane, Minister Coveney said.
The minister recently addressed the “Bioenergy – Brazil and Ireland, strengthening ties and sharing knowledge” conference organised by the Embassy of Brazil in Ireland and IrBEA.
Biomethane, biofuels and biomass are positioned as “crucial” fuels to decarbonise the Brazilian economy, and the country already has one of the cleanest energy mixes in the world, IrBEA said.
The share of renewables in the energy mix in Brazil is at 47.4%, of which 15.4% is based on sugarcane production. In comparison, Ireland’s overall renewable energy share target is 34.1% by 2030.
Economic growth and providing prosperity for the global population while protecting the environment is a shared concern for both countries, Ambassador of Brazil to Ireland, H.E. Marcel Biato said.
Biofuels
There is a “hugely important” role for a biofuels industry in Ireland, as well as to decarbonise Ireland’s economy and society in the years and decades ahead, the minister said.
Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuels used for transport that are derived from organic matter or biomass resources and not from fossil fuel sources, according to IrBEA.
The main types are bioethanol, biodiesel, hydrogenated vegetable oil and biogas/biomethane. It is made by fermenting the sugars in cereal grains, sugar beet, cane and other plant matter.
“We need to work locally and globally to ensure that these bio-based fuels are actually sustainable and to share knowledge, innovation and research as the supply chain for these fuels develops.
“We are serious about trying to build new opportunities and relationships with Brazil, where we can share technology, research programmes and learnings,” the minister told the conference.
IrBEA CEO, Seán Finan said that their collaboration with the Brazilian Embassy started when they were on the campaign to get E10 introduced in Ireland, which is 10% ethanol in petrol.
“Over 90% of decarbonisation of our transport system is through biofuels,” Finan said adding that there is an opportunity to learn from the experience at Brazilian level.
Earlier this year the move to E10 was announced as the standard grade of petrol in Ireland in order to contribute to a reduction of 51% in transport emissions by 2030.
Brazil blends 27% of ethanol in all petrol (E27), according to the Europe representative of the Brazilian Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Association (UNICA), Raquel Lages.
Brazilian ethanol production
Brazil is the largest sugarcane producer in the world, producing 607 million tonnes, and the second largest ethanol producer globally, after the US, producing 31,2 billion litres.
Sugarcane and corn production for ethanol only uses 0.9% of Brazil’s territory. A sub product of the ethanol production is also used to produce bioelectricity, biogas and biomethane, she said.
In line with commitments made at the UN Climate Conference (COP21), Brazil launched a public policy focusing on the decarbonisation of the transport matrix, named RenovaBio.
There are opportunities for technology transfer from Brazil for compatible feedstocks in Ireland, CEO and founder of Biomass Analysis Laboratory Celignis, Dan Hayes said.
While Miscanthus has similar characteristics to sugarcane, bespoke solutions need to be developed for Ireland according to the available feedstocks and economic conditions, he said.
Soy has the highest production value in the Brazilian agricultural sector, CEO of consultancy Datagro and president of the Brazilian Bioenergy and Bioeconomy Institute (IBIO), Dr. Plínio Nastari said.
Soybean production had a value of 351,496 Brazilian Real (R$) last year, followed by corn at 159,883R$ and sugarcane at R$120,340. In comparison, cattle production has a value of 153,796R$.
Just over 30% of land in Brazil is under agriculture, of which 21.2% is pasture, 7.8% is cropland, and 1.2% is planted forestry, according to Dr. Nastari.