A second generation (2G) ethanol-producing unit of Brazil's top sugar and ethanol milling group Raizen — known as Bonfim Bioenergy Park — shipped its first cargo of 2G ethanol to the EU, vice-president Paulo Corte-Real Neves said.
"We were already exporting E2G produced at the Costa Pinto unit," Neves said duringthe Argus Biofuels and Feedstocks Latin America conference, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "Now, with the Bonfim plant, we have increased our relevance with customers and expanded the penetration of cellulosic ethanol."
Bonfim Bioenergy Park is Raizen's second unit to sell 2G ethanol. The first is Costa Pinto Bioenergy Park. Both are in Sao Paulo state and produce a combined 112mn liters/yr (1,940 b/d), chief executive Ricardo Mussa said in May.
Raizen said last year it sold 80pc of Bonfim's output to international markets. It now expects to sell the remainder on the EU ethanol spot market.
Raizen, a joint venture between Shell and Brazilian conglomerate Cosan, has plans to have 20 2G ethanol units in operation in 10 years, with total installed capacity reaching up to 1.6bn l/yr (27,750 b/d) when works are finished.
By Maeli Prado
