eucalypts Tag

08 Oct Brazil expanding its biofuel mix with eucalypts

Few countries rival Brazil in terms of biomass energy potential. The country has the second largest forested land area, behind only Russia. Because of this, and due to the nation’s favorable climate and topography for agriculture, nearly thirty percent of Brazil’s energy is derived from biomass sources. Sugar has long been converted into ethanol with its by-product, bagasse, then used to make steam and electricity, largely for industrial purposes. More recently, oil seeds such as soybeans have been used to make biodiesel. Increasingly complementing these in Brazil is another promising fuel source, highlighted in an International Energy Agency report released this year: eucalypts.