In Indonesia, Reuters reports the government has set out a three-year roadmap to start blending 5% sugarcane-based ethanol with gasoline, starting first in just a few provinces—in the capital of Jakarta and East Java—and then rolling it out later. The roll out will be followed by scaling up to 10% in the medium term and […]
In Brazil, Reuters reports Datagro data shows sugarcane production is expected to jump next season to 590 million metric tons in 2023/24 that kicks off in April as the crop continues to recover from drought and deep freeze impacts. The figure compares to 542 million tons expected for the current season. Although ethanol production is […]
In India, counter to what the transportation minister has been pushing—that the sugar industry should focus on ethanol rather than sugar production—the Hindu Business Line newspaper reports that the oil minister says sugar producers should look to diversify their ethanol feedstocks due to sugarcane’s water intensity. He said that waste-based feedstocks were preferred to sugarcane […]
In Brazil, Reuters reports ethanol production during the second half of August fell 1.23% to 2.25 billion liters with sugarcane mills diverting just 51.6% of the sugarcane crush towards ethanol production. Mills crushed 44.02 million metric tons during H2 August, nearly 1.8% more than the same period last year. The crush is currently 10% behind […]
In Brazil, Reuters reports that with ethanol at near all-time highs and sugar at five-year highs, investors are rushing to scoop up opportunities in the “Saudi Arabia of sugarcane”. As many as 40 mills are for sale and 30% of the country’s sugarcane crushing capacity, primarily smaller mills, is idle due to years of financial […]
In Brazil, a study conducted at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) has discovered that three strains of Pseudomonas bacteria can inhibit growth, and even cause the death, of the fungus responsible for pineapple sett rot, a disease that attacks sugarcane, especially in the planting season. The results are reported in an article published in Environmental […]
In Switzerland, ABB is to automate NatureWorks’ (world’s leading manufacturer of polylactic acid) new bioplastics plant in Thailand which will convert sugar cane to sustainable plastics. The plant – set to produce 75,000 tons of biopolymer per year – will ferment and distill plant-based sugars, converting the sugars first to lactic acid, then lactide and […]
In Brazil, yellow leaf disease, a major sugarcane pest in Brazil, is caused by a virus resistant to thermal treatment. An infected plantation can be saved only by growing plantlets in tissue culture in the laboratory and planting them out, a time-consuming process that requires specialized infrastructure and personnel. According to a group of scientists […]
In India, the Daily Pioneer newspaper reports that two sugar companies in Uttar Pradesh—Balampur and Pipraich Sugar—will produce ethanol directly from sugarcane juice during the new season starting October 1. The UP government greenlighted the use of sugar juice as ethanol feedstock in October 2020. The state produced nearly 1 billion liters at 72 distilleries […]
In New York state, Kindly, a new line of sustainable intimates, launches featuring the first-ever plant-based bra cup sourced from Brazilian sugarcane. Available exclusively at Walmart, kindly is on a mission to make sustainability accessible to everyone. Its product line features a wide range of sustainable bras and underwear made from recycled materials, and a promise […]
