Novozymes will deliver enzymes to new 2G plant in Brazil
Novozymes has entered a collaboration with Brazilian Raízen Energia S/A - Brazil’s largest sugarcane refiner. Raízen is about to build its first commercial advanced bioethanol plant and Danish Novozymes will deliver the enzyme technology. According to Director of BioRefining Alliance, Anne Grete Holmsgaard, this is yet another proof of Denmark's global frontrunner position in advanced biorefining, but it also shows that the market development is only happening outside the EU.
Transport of sugar cane harvest in Brazil. Photo: Shell.
The largest sugar cane refiner in Brazil, Raízen Energia S/A, is now building its first commercial 2G bioethanol plant based on sugar cane bagasse and straw. The plant will be ready in 2014 and produce around 40 mio. liter bioethanol.
Danish Novozymes will deliver the emzyme technology, which will be optimized to Raísen's process.
- This first plant developed by one of the world's largest sugarcane ethanol producers marks an important step in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil, Thomas Videbæk, Novozymes' Executive Vice President of Business Development says in a press release and continues:
- We look forward to sharing the journey with Raízen and enabling this exciting development for Brazil through the delivery of world-leading enzyme technology.
If the demand for Novozymes' technology turns out to be high in Brazil, the Danish company will build an enzyme factory in the country.
The advanced biorefining development will be outside Europe
Director of BioRefining Alliance, Anne Grete Holmsgaard, finds the collaborations between Raízen and Novozymes very positive. She sees this a yet another proof of Danish companies' frontrunner position on the emerging global market for advanced biorefining:
- The Danish advanced biorefining technologies are ready for commercialization. This and other collaborations between Danish biorefining companies and partners abroad the last year are examples of that. But the partners are mainly located in countries outside EU such as China, Brazil and USA. Here, they are ready to invest in advanced biorefining on a commercial scale, while Denmark and especially EU apparently is holding back to an extend that the jobs in this sector will end up being outside EU. This is too bad considering EU's unique opportunity to create a strong market for advanced biofuels by setting targets for advanced biofuels (2G) in the transport sector by 2020, she says.
About Raízen Energia S/A
Raízen is the world's largest sugarcane crusher and one of the leading sugar and ethanol producers in Brazil. Raízen was established in 2011 as a joint venture between global oil major Royal Dutch Shell plc and Brazilian energy and infrastructure conglomerate Cosan. Currently, the company produces 2 billion liters of ethanol from sugarcane per year from a network of 24 sugarcane mills in Brazil. Read more at www.raizen.com.br/en
Categories
